Virtue's Faith
by firegirl131
Summary: A year has passed since the defeat of Talpa and the Ronins and Tiffany are happy with life. All of that changes when someone from Tiffany's past comes back to haunt her. Will Ryo and the others be able to help her? Sequel to Learning to Love, Trust, and Fight.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! I'm back with the sequel as promised. Sorry it took so long but I'm on winter break and I was busy these last few days. **

**So, this is the sequel to Learning to Love, Trust, and Fight so if you have not read that story yet, I would suggest you read it first. You will be kind of confused by this story if you did not read the first book. Also, there is a possibility that I might change this story from a 'T' to an 'M.' I don't know yet but I have to let the story play out for a bit.**

**Hope you enjoy the first chapter. Don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 1<p>

Tiffany woke up and found herself encased in Ryo's arms. She smiled and turned in his arms so that she was facing him. Tiffany stared at Ryo's sleeping face then gently placed a kiss on his nose. She then placed her head on Ryo's chest and listened to his heartbeat. Just as she was about to fall back asleep, Tiffany felt a hand run through her hair. Tiffany looked up and saw Ryo staring at her, a smile on his face. "Good morning."

"Morning." The two shared a kiss. "How did you sleep?"

"Good, you?"

"Ok."

Ryo looked at her, worry on his face. Tiffany saw this and gave him a reassuring smile. "Nothing bad; I just had a hard time falling asleep." Ryo smiled then kissed her on the lips. Tiffany looked over Ryo's shoulder and her eyes lit up. She got out of the bed and ran to the doors leading to the balcony. Tiffany walked outside, staring at the snow falling lightly to the ground. She was so focused on watching the snow that Tiffany forgot about how cold it was outside. Arms wrapped around her and a blanket came with them. Tiffany turned around to see Ryo holding the blanket around them. "You know, it's kind of cold outside."

Tiffany smirked then placed her head in the crook of Ryo's neck. "I know now." Ryo kissed her forehead then rested his head on Tiffany's. The two then watched as the snow fell to the ground. "I can't believe it's been over a year since I've met you."

"And in a few days you'll have your second Christmas since you've been free."

"Yeah."

It's true; almost a year has passed since the defeat of Talpa and Tiffany finding her parents again. During that said year, Tiffany was able to relax and experience the holidays that she missed since she's been held captive. Out of them all, the one holiday she missed was Christmas. Tiffany loved the lights and decorations that came out around that holiday. She also loved the music that came around and loved spending time with family on Christmas. Tiffany didn't really care about the presents for she said the greatest present was being with friends and family on that special day. Her first Christmas was spent at her home and the guys went with her. Afterwards, Tiffany and Ryo went home while the others went to their families to spend the rest of the day with them.

Speaking of families, Tiffany also met the guys' families during the past year. The guys' families fell in love with Tiffany once they met her and were kind to her. Kento's family, however, adored her; especially his mother and little sister. Whenever Tiffany would come over, they were happy to see her and Kento's little sister, Rini, would say hi to Tiffany first before saying hi to Kento.

"So, where are we going for Christmas?" Tiffany asked.

"From what I heard from the others, Kento is going to ask his family if they could have us over on Christmas and have dinner with them as well. Of course, his family would have to close their restaurant down for that day but I think they would do it, since his mother and little sister are fond of you," explained Ryo.

"Well, I do have that kind of impact on people." Tiffany looked up at him and smiled. "Look what I did with you."

"That's a good thing though. Come on, let's get inside before we get a cold." Tiffany nodded and the two walked inside. Ryo closed the door behind them and locked it, to make sure that none of the cold air would get into the room. The two then changed out of their pajamas and into some warm, comfortable wear. They walked downstairs to find everyone at the table, eating breakfast. "Good morning, lovebirds," stated Rowen.

"You're up early," commented Ryo.

"Do you even know what time it is?" Sage asked.

Tiffany shook her head then looked at the clock; it was ten thirty. She widen her eyes and cursed under her breath. "What's wrong, Tiffany?" asked Cye.

"I'm supposed to meet Kayura and Mia now to go shopping."

"Shopping for what?" Kento asked.

"Just…um...some last minute Christmas shopping."

"I thought you were already finished shopping," said Ryo.

Tiffany sweat dropped. "Yeah…bye!" Tiffany then ran out of the house, slamming the door behind her. The guys stared at the place Tiffany was at then looked at each other. "That was weird," commented Kento.

"Well, at least you guys can help me while she's out," said Ryo.

"Help with what?" asked Sage. "I thought you already got Tiffany a Christmas present."

"I did, but…"

"But what?" Cye asked.

"I want to propose to Tiffany."

The other Ronins stopped what they were doing and stared at Ryo. It was quiet for a moment before they started congratulating him. "I haven't even propose to her yet."

"Still, it's been over a year since you and Tiffany started dating and you haven't even tried to propose to her," Rowen said.

"Have you even had se-" Kento started but was stopped by Sage's hand covering his mouth.

"We are not going there!" Sage exclaimed.

"What do you need help with?" Cye asked, hoping to change the subject.

"I was wondering if you can leave on Christmas Eve to stay at your houses so that Tiffany and I could have the mansion to ourselves," said Ryo.

"What about Mia and Yulie?" asked Rowen.

"I already talked to Mia and she said that she can go to a friend's house and that Yulie is going with his parents to his grandparents both on Christmas Eve and on Christmas."

"Do you have the ring?" asked Cye.

Ryo nodded.

"Sure, we can help you out that," stated Sage. "We'll let you and Tiffany have some alone time on Christmas Eve."

"What do you plan on doing besides proposing to her?" Kento asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Kento!"

* * *

><p>Tiffany, Kayura, and Mia were walking downtown, looking at all the different stores to find their friends presents. "So why were you late this morning, Tiffany?" Kayura asked, wiggling her eyebrows. In order for her to fit in around the city, she wore clothes that Tiffany lent her. Kayura was wearing a long-sleeved purple shirt and jeans. She also wore winter boots and a winter coat.<p>

Tiffany lightly shoved her friend, blushing slightly. "Shut up, Kayura."

"Didn't you get gifts for everyone already?" asked Mia.

"Everyone except Ryo," admitted Tiffany. "I'm having trouble finding him a gift and I was hoping you two would help me."

Mia and Kayura nodded. "Hey, how's Anubis doing these days?" Tiffany asked, a smirk playing on her lips. Now it was Kayura's turn to blush. She and Anubis started dating about two months after the defeat of Talpa. When Tiffany first found out, she was shocked but was then fully happy for her friend.

The trio went to everyone store to try and find something for Ryo. While they were shopping, Mia and Kayura were able to get gifts for their friends as well and when they saw a gift for Tiffany, the other would lead her away so they could buy the gift without Tiffany seeing. It was around noon and the three girls were getting hungry. They were going to get lunch and then go home, for Mia had to go to work and Kayura had to meet Leonce to talk about being leader of the village.

Tiffany was upset that she wasn't able to find something for Ryo. "Don't worry, Tiffany; you'll find something for him," reassured Mia.

"How? Christmas is like a week away," said Tiffany.

They started to leave the shop that they were in and Tiffany started looking around just in case she missed something. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something that might work. "Kayura, Mia, wait!" The two stopped and turned to her. Tiffany walked over to one of the displays and looked at a watch. The watch was silver with a black wrist band. On the face of the watch were colored stones. The stones went in a circle and it surrounded the clear glass. The colors of the stones were red, green, light blue, orange, and dark blue, in that order, repeating all the way around. Tiffany smiled; the stones remained her of the colors of the Ronin armors and she remember Ryo saying that he needed a new watch. "This one, it's perfect."

Kayura and Mia came over to inspect the watch. "Wow, that's a nice watch," commented Kayura.

"I'm sure Ryo will love it," said Mia.

"Can I help you three ladies with something?" a sales clerk asked, walking over to them.

"Yes, I would like to get this watch," Tiffany answered.

The clerk looked at the watch and smiled. "What a fine choice, miss. And who is this watch for?"

"My boyfriend. His old watch broke and he's been looking for a new one but hasn't found anything." Tiffany looked back at the watch. "I know he will love this one."

"Well, you're just in time! Today is the last day of our sales and this watch is sixty percent off its original price."

"Awesome!"

"Would you like me to hold it for you while you three continue shopping?"

"I can pay for it now actually. We were on our way out when I spotted the watch."

"You have a very good eye, miss." The clerk went back to the check-out isle and Tiffany followed her. She put the watch in a box and then rung it up. "Your total is eighty-five dollars." Tiffany took out the money and gave it to the clerk. She put the money in the cash register and then gave Tiffany a bag with the watch inside and a receipt. Tiffany took the items and then left the store with Kayura and Mia.

* * *

><p><strong>I was in a Christmas mood since Christmas is like a week away so I decided that the story should take place around that time. I would love your feedback so please tell me what you thought about it. Bye!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm back with a second chapter; hope you like it!**

**I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 2<p>

A few days had passed since Tiffany had gotten Ryo his Christmas present and she had been in a good mood ever since. The guys have been wondering why Tiffany was happy but she never said why. Tiffany didn't want the guys to know because she believed it would ruin the surprise. She also kept Ryo's present hidden so that he would not find it.

Tiffany was sitting on a couch, reading one of her books, when Cye walked in, holding out the phone. "Tiffany, your mom wants to talk to you."

"Thanks." Tiffany grabbed the phone from Cye and answered it. "Hi mom."

"_Hi sweetie. How are you?_"

"I'm good, how are you?"

"_I'm fine. I just wanted to let you know that Kayura is now the leader of our village._"

"Really? Is that why Kayura had to talk to father a few days ago?"

"_Basically. Also, her friend is leading beside her. What was his name again?_"

"Anubis?"

"_Yes, him. Did you know that those two are together?_"

"Yeah, Kayura told me when we went shopping."

"_Oh, all right then._"

"Are you stilling living in the village?"

"_Yes we are, don't worry about your father and I. Are you coming over tomorrow?_"

"What do you mean?"

"_Do you remember what tomorrow is?_"

Tiffany had to think for a minute and then remembered that tomorrow is Christmas Eve. "I don't know; Ryo said he had something planned for me tomorrow but I don't know what."

"_That's right, I forgot._"

"Forgot about what?" Tiffany waited but her mother didn't reply. "Mom?"

"_It's nothing, dear. I have to go; have a wonderful Christmas._"

"You too." Tiffany hung up and placed the phone on the coffee table. "Who was on the phone?" Tiffany looked at the doorway to see Ryo standing there. "My mom; she told me that Kayura and Anubis are the leaders of my village."

"Anubis too?"

"Yeah."

"So, how is in charge of the neither world?"

Tiffany was silent. "Good question." She walked over to a drawer and opened a secret compartment. Tiffany took out the Jewel of Life and Ryo was confused. "Wait, I thought Kayura had the jewel."

"She did at first, but Kayura said it would be easier for me to contact her with the jewel."

"How?"

"The Jewel of Life and the Ancient One's staff are connected. With the jewel, I can talk to her through the staff whenever I can." Tiffany closed her eyes and focused. Minutes later, a bright light appeared outside the mansion and then there was a knock at the door. Tiffany walked over to the door, giving Ryo a smirk. "I can also ask her to come over when I want to." She opened the door and let Kayura in. "Hi Kayura, how are you?"

"I'm fine. Hello, Ryo."

"Hey."

"So I'm guessing you heard the news?"

"Yeah, but how did you get Anubis to lead beside you?"

"I didn't." Kayura walked over to a couch and sat down. "He wanted to on his own. Leonce was ok with it, though; he said that the village needed a male figure as well."

Tiffany sat down beside Kayura. "So, who's in charge of the neither world?"

"Don't get me started on that."

"Did the three fight over who would lead?"

Kayura looked at Tiffany and nodded. "They wouldn't stop bickering and when they heard I was leaving, all of them tried to get on my good side so I could pick one of them as leader."

"So, who did you pick?"

"Dais."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I thought he was the most responsible of them all and that he could keep the other two on their toes."

"Please don't be mad, but I actually thought you and Dais would get together."

"Funny story, Dais tried to get me to date him but I didn't really like him. I had more of a connection to Anubis than to Dais."

Tiffany nodded then widen her eyes. "Oh, where are my manners? Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

"I'm fine, thank you." Kayura looked outside and smiled. "It's so pretty outside." Tiffany looked outside as well to see a blanket of white snow covering the ground. "Yes it is." Kayura looked at Tiffany. "Let's go outside and have some fun." Tiffany smiled then nodded. The two dressed warmly and then ran outside. They started to play in the snow; making snowmen, throwing snowballs at each other, making snow angels, etc.

While they were having a snowball fight, Tiffany ran over to the frozen lake and smiled. She looked at her feet and then waved her hand, turning her shoes into skates. Tiffany skated onto the lake and glided along on the smooth ice. "Tiffany!" She turned around and saw Kayura standing there. "Get off the ice! You'll fall in!"

"I'm fine, the ice is very strong; I won't fall."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Here, I'll make you a pair of skates so you can skate with me." Tiffany raised her hand but then saw something in the woods. She turned to the trees to see a man standing there. The man smiled evilly at her and Tiffany widen her eyes. _They found me!_ _They're going to get me! _Before she could get off the ice, the man waved his hand and the ice Tiffany was on broke. Tiffany fell into the cold water and she struggled to get back on the surface. The cold water bit at her body and Tiffany could feel her body slowly shutting down. The last thing Tiffany remembered was someone grabbing her arm and pulling her out of the icy water.

* * *

><p>Ryo, Sage, and Kento were inside, talking to each other, when Rowen, Cye, and Kayura came in, with Cye carrying an unconscious and shivering Tiffany. "Tiffany!" Ryo exclaimed, running over to her. He grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her. Cye placed Tiffany on the couch and the guys started covering Tiffany with blankets in order to warm her up. "What happened?" Sage asked. "Tiffany was skating on the ice and I told her to get off, saying she was going to fall in. She told me that it wouldn't happen and she was going to make me a pair of skates but Tiffany saw something in the trees. I don't know what, but she got scared and hurried to get off but then she fell in," explained Kayura.<p>

"We saw Kayura trying to get Tiffany and we ran over to her to help," Rowen said.

Ryo nodded and turned back to Tiffany. He grabbed her hand and brought forth his armor power, sending heat into Tiffany's body. With his other hand, Ryo stroked Tiffany's hair then placed a kiss on her forehead. "I think she needs some rest," stated Sage.

"I'm so sorry, Ryo," apologized Kayura, tears forming in her eyes. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

"It's ok, Kayura," reassured Ryo. "It wasn't your fault."

"She'll be fine; Tiffany's strong," Kento said. "Like me."

"At least Tiffany knows how to handle her strength," commented Cye. "Unlike someone I know."

"Hey!"

Everyone started laughing and Kayura felt a little bit better. She looked at Tiffany and saw that she no longer looked like she was cold. Kayura looked at Ryo's hand holding Tiffany's and smiled; she knew that Ryo would be a good match for Tiffany and that he'll take care of her. Kayura placed a hand on Ryo's shoulder and Ryo looked up at her. "You'll be a good match for her, Ryo; take care of her."

"I will."

Moaning could be heard and Ryo looked back at Tiffany, who was slowly waking up. "Tiffany?" She woke up and looked around. Tiffany saw Ryo and launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him. She started shaking and tears rolled down her face. Ryo wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back. "I saw him, Ryo," said Tiffany. "I saw the man who tortured me. He found me…he's going to take me back."

"Shh, you're safe; he's not going to take you back," promised Ryo.

"I'm scared."

Ryo held her tighter then placed a light kiss on her head. He gently started to rock her as Tiffany sobbed onto his shirt. Ryo looked at the others and they nodded. They left the room to give Ryo and Tiffany some privacy. When Tiffany had calmed down, Ryo asked, "Do you want some hot chocolate?" Tiffany nodded. "I got it," Kayura said, walking into the kitchen. "Sorry I ruined your shirt," Tiffany said, looking at stain on Ryo's shirt. "It's fine." Tiffany tugged the blanket close to her and she snuggled into Ryo. "Don't leave me."

Ryo gently grabbed her chin and made her look at him. "I will never leave you." Tiffany smiled and the two shared a kiss. Kayura walked back in with a cup of hot chocolate. She gave the cup to Tiffany and Tiffany drank the warm liquid. "Tiffany, I have to go," said Kayura. "I'll see you later ok?" Tiffany nodded and then Kayura left the mansion.

"Want to watch some TV?" Ryo asked. "Sure." Ryo grabbed the remote, turning on the TV. The two snuggled into each other's side and watched the TV.

* * *

><p><strong>The next two chapters will be about Christmas Eve and Christmas so look forward to that. Please read and review. Bye =)<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello. I know it has been a while but I was helping my mom last weekend making Christmas cookies and then yesterday I was busy. **

**So, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 3<p>

The next day, Ryo woke up with Tiffany snuggled up against him. A small smile appeared on his face then placed a gentle kiss on Tiffany's forehead. Ryo suddenly remembered that today was Christmas Eve and he and Tiffany were going to have the mansion to themselves for the whole day. Trying not to disturb his girlfriend, Ryo got out of bed and walked downstairs. He walked into the kitchen to see the guys eating breakfast. "Hey, guys," greeted Ryo.

"Good morning, Ryo," Cye said, getting up from his seat. "Want breakfast?"

"I'm actually going to make breakfast for Tiffany and I but thanks though."

"Wait, you can cook?" Kento asked. "All this time I could have asked you to make me something for a snack instead of waiting for Cye or Mia? Why didn't you tell me?"

Ryo shrugged. "You didn't ask." He walked over to the stove and saw some leftover pancake batter. Ryo poured the exact amount of batter onto the pan and, while the batter was cooking, Ryo looked through the cabinets. "What are you looking for, Ryo?" Sage asked.

"Chocolate chips," answered Ryo.

"They're in the second cabinet from your right," replied Cye.

Ryo opened that cabinet and saw the chocolate chips. He added the chocolate onto the pancakes and then flipped them over. Ryo took out some sausages and hash browns and started cooking those. "So, why are you making breakfast for Tiffany?" Rowen asked.

"I want today to be special for her. I want her to relax and not worry about anything; especially since yesterday got her stressed out." The guys nodded as they thought about yesterday. Tiffany claimed that she saw someone from her past and it freaked her out. It freaked her out so bad that she had a nightmare about it, saying that they kidnapped her and started torturing her. She couldn't go back to sleep after that so Ryo stayed up with her, calming her down until Tiffany was able to fall back asleep again.

"Well, it's a good thing we are leaving," stated Kento. "Because whatever you have planned for today, I'm sure we don't want to be here to witness it."

"Speaking of, when are you four leaving?" Ryo asked.

"Why? Do you want to get rid of us that badly?" asked Rowen.

"I'm just wondering."

"All of us are packed so we are probably going to leave after we finished eating," said Sage.

"And cleaning up afterwards," finished Cye.

Mia walked into the kitchen and was shocked to see Ryo at the stove making breakfast. "I didn't know you could cook."

Ryo nodded then flipped the pancakes over and saw that they were done. He put the pancakes on a plate then finished cooking the sausages and hash browns. "Are you guys ready to go?" Mia asked, looking at the four Ronins.

"Yeah, just give us a minute," said Rowen. He and the other three got up from the table and put their plates in the dishwasher while Mia washed the table.

"I'm guessing Mia is giving all of you a ride home," said Ryo.

They nodded and then grabbed their bags. "We'll see you tomorrow at the party," said Sage.

"I hope to see a ring on Tiffany's finger tomorrow as well," Mia said, walking out the door.

"Say hi to your families for me," Ryo called to his friends.

"We will," said Kento. "Tell Tiffany that we'll see her tomorrow."

"I will, bye."

"Bye, Ryo," his friends said and then the front door closed. Ryo put the finished sausages and hash browns on a plate then poured some orange juice into a glass. He put the items on a tray and then carried it up to his and Tiffany's shared room. Ryo opened the door to see Tiffany still asleep on the bed. He walked over to her then placed the tray on the nightstand. Ryo leaned over and started kissing the spot behind her ear. A smile appeared on Tiffany's face and she moved her head away but Ryo followed, not letting her get away. "Ryo…stop," mumbled Tiffany. "I'm tired."

"I made you breakfast," Ryo whispered to her.

"I'm not hungry." Tiffany's stomach growled making Ryo chuckle. "I think you're lying to me." Tiffany opened one eye and looked at the food on the nightstand. Her eyes fully opened and she slowly sat up on the bed. Ryo grabbed the tray and gently placed the tray on her lap. "Did you make it?" Tiffany asked.

"Yeah."

"I didn't know you can cook."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Well, you're never by the stove and it's usually Mia or Cye that makes the food." Tiffany took a bite of her pancake. "You should cook more often, this is good."

"Glad you like it." Ryo stole a sausage, taking a bite of it.

"Get your own sausage!"

"I made it."

"Yeah, for me though."

"I did, but there is enough food for two people." Tiffany looked down at her plate; she did see a lot of food and knew that she couldn't eat it all by herself. Tiffany placed the tray in-between themselves then continued to eat. Ryo started to eat as well and soon, all of the food was gone. Tiffany put the tray back on the nightstand and stretched. "Thanks for making me breakfast."

"You're welcome. Now, I think I deserve something," Ryo said, grinning at her. Tiffany smiled then leaned in and gave Ryo a kiss. Ryo kissed back, running his hands up and down her back. Tiffany ran her hands through Ryo's black hair and Ryo pulled her close to him. Ryo tugged on Tiffany's bottom lip with his teeth, earning a moan from his lover. Tiffany pulled away but Ryo continued his kisses. He trailed kisses down Tiffany's neck but stopped at the base of her neck. Ryo gently bit the skin then kissed the spot and ran his tongue over it as well. "Ryo," Tiffany moaned. Ryo trailed his hands up Tiffany's shirt but Tiffany pushed them down. "Ryo, we can't; the guys are here."

"No they're not."

Tiffany looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Everyone left to go home for today, so we have the whole house to ourselves."

"Really? The whole day?" Tiffany could feel her excitement growing.

"Yeah." Ryo kissed her forehead. "The." Her cheek. "Whole." Her nose. "Day." And finally her lips. Tiffany kissed back, pulling Ryo down onto the bed with her. Ryo pushed Tiffany's shirt up and over her head. He leaned down and placed kisses around Tiffany's chest area. Tiffany arched her back as Ryo continued his assault. "Do you like that?" Ryo whispered on her chest, sending shivers down Tiffany's spine. "Do you want more?"

"Please."

"Please what?"

Tiffany hastily grabbed Ryo's shirt and threw it off him. She ran her hands up and down his chest, placing kisses along the way as well. "Make love to me, Ryo." Tiffany grabbed Ryo's pants and started to take them off, with Ryo helping her. Once they were off, Ryo took off her pants so that they were both left in their underwear. They took that off as well then Ryo gave her a small kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too." They kissed again and then Ryo entered her.

* * *

><p>Sage walked into the front door of his home and looked around; it felt good to be home. "Sage?" He turned around to see his mother standing there. "Hi mom." His mother smiled then walked up to him, wrapping her arms around her son. "It's so good to see you again." Sage hugged his mother back. "You too mom." The two separated and then his mother led Sage into the kitchen, where his two sisters were at the stove. "Making cookies I see." The two girls turned around and smiled. "Sage!" They ran to him, hugging his brother. "Dad, look whose back!"<p>

"What is it, Sakura?" A man walked in and he stopped in his tracks when he saw Sage. He smiled and walked up to him, extending a hand. "Welcome back, son." Sage smiled and grabbed his hand. "Thanks dad."

* * *

><p>Cye was walking up to his house when he saw his mother taking the groceries out of the car. "Need some help?" His mom turned around and widen her eyes, releasing her grip on the bag. Cye ran over and caught the bag before it hit the ground. "Cye."<p>

"Hi mom." Cye's mom brought him into a hug and held him. "Welcome home, sweetie." She kissed Cye's cheek and smiled. "Now, help me carry in the groceries." Cye nodded and helped his mother bring the groceries into the house.

* * *

><p>Kento stepped into his family's restaurant. "I'm home!"<p>

"Kento!" A little boy and girl ran across the restaurant and into their brother's arms. "You're home for Christmas!"

"Is Tiffany here?"

"No, but she'll be here tomorrow, Rini."

Rini smiled.

"Kento, is that you?" A woman asked, walking into the room.

"Yes mom, it's me."

"Good." She threw Kento a rag. "You can help clean the tables."

"I just got back and you're putting me to work?"

"Yes, you are having friends over tomorrow for Christmas so to make up for it, you are going to help out until the restaurant closes."

"Okay. Little bro, can you take this to my room?" Kento asked, giving his brother his bag.

"Sure." After his brother left, Kento started clearing the tables and washing them down.

* * *

><p>"Thanks, Mia, see you tomorrow," said Rowen.<p>

"Have a good day," Mia said, then drove off.

Rowen walked into his house and the scent of ham filled his nose. He was confused so he walked into the kitchen to see his mother and father making food. "Mom? Dad?" They turned around and smiled. "Hey, Rowen, how are you?"

"Fine." Rowen placed his bag down. "Why are you to cooking together?"

"Your mother told me that you were going by your friend Kento's house for Christmas dinner," explained his dad.

"So we have decided to have an early Christmas dinner together," finished his mom.

Rowen smiled. "That would be nice." He then walked over to his parents to help them finish making the food.

* * *

><p>Ryo and Tiffany were laying on the couch, wrapped in each other's arms, watching TV. After taking a nap from the two of them making love, they decided to watch Christmas movies. The two had already watched three movies and were now watching The Polar Express. "I like this movie," Tiffany declared, snuggling into Ryo.<p>

"Really?"

"Yeah, especially that hot chocolate song."

"Why?"

"Because it's catchy." Ryo looked down at her, an eyebrow raised. Tiffany sighed. "No, it's not because of the men dancing. Besides, they're not that hot." Tiffany glanced up at him, smiling. "You're sexier." Ryo smiled then placed a kiss on her lips. They continued to watch the movie until it was over. "What time is it?" Ryo looked at the clock on the wall. "Almost six."

"Wow, time flies."

"Well, we did watch four Christmas movies."

"True." Tiffany sat up on the couch and stretched. "What do we do now?"

Ryo bit his lip before saying, "There's something I wanted to ask you."

"What?"

Ryo got off the couch and got down on one knee. "Tiffany, you are the most beautiful and amazing woman I have ever met, and I am so happy that I was able to meet you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life and start a family with you." Ryo took out a ring box and opened it, presenting a diamond ring. "Tiffany, will you do the honor of becoming my wife?" Tears ran down Tiffany's face as a smile appeared on her face. "Yes, yes I will be your wife." Ryo smiled, got up, and placed the ring on her ring finger. He then kissed her on the lips and wrapped his arms around her waist. Ryo picked up Tiffany and Tiffany wrapped her arms and legs around him. Ryo carried her up the stairs, to their room, then placed her gently on the bed. All the while never breaking apart their kiss. When they broke apart, Ryo stared down at Tiffany, love in his eyes. "I love you, Tiffany."

"I love you too, Ryo." They continued to kiss and throughout the night, without no interruption.

* * *

><p><strong>Ryo finally proposed to Tiffany! The next chapter will be about Christmas and I hope to have that chapter up on Christmas Day. Please review and have a good night :)<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Merry Christmas everyone! **

**So far, today has been a good day and I got a new pair of red high heels! :D (Girlish squeal in the background). Sorry, I love high heels. **

**This is the Christmas chapter that I promised and I hope you like it. Don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 4<p>

Light streamed through the curtains the next morning, shinning on the young couple. Tiffany slowly opened her eyes and a small smile appeared on her face. She looked at the ring on her finger, recalling the events of last night. Tiffany was happy that Ryo was going to be her husband and that she was going to be his wife. She reached over to touch her fiancé but found that he wasn't there. Tiffany sat up, looking around the room for Ryo, when she saw a note on the nightstand. She picked it up and read it.

_ Tiffany,_

_ I didn't want to wake you up because you looked so peaceful. I went to take a shower; I should be back soon._

_ Ryo._

Tiffany smiled and then got up from the bed. She walked to the bathroom and turned the knob, surprised to find that it was opened. Tiffany walked in and over to the shower, pushing aside the curtain. Ryo was washing the shampoo out of his hair so he didn't notice Tiffany stepping into the shower. Only when Ryo felt hands on his back did he turn around to find Tiffany smiling at him. "Morning."

"Hey." The two shared a kiss then Tiffany picked up the soap and started washing Ryo's body. When Tiffany was done, Ryo stepped under the water to wash off the suds. Tiffany then took the soap and started washing her body. She suddenly felt hands massaging her head and lips on her neck. Tiffany closed her eyes, leaning into her lover. Ryo continued to massage the shampoo into Tiffany's hair and when he was done, Ryo kissed Tiffany's cheek and let her go under the spray. Tiffany washed the shampoo out of her hair and then put conditioner in her hair; she finished then washed it out.

When they were done, Ryo turned off the water and the two stepped out of the shower. They dried themselves off and walked back to their room. Ryo put on black dress pants and a red dress shirt. Tiffany was looking through her dresses, trying to find what to wear. She then gave up, releasing a sigh. "You all right, Tiffany?" Ryo asked, combing through his hair.

"I can't find anything to wear." Ryo walked over to her closet and looked at her dresses. He took out a spaghetti strapped red dress with black lace around the waist. "What about this one?"

"Ok." Tiffany put on the dress and then put on a pair of black high heels. She brushed her hair out then started to braid it. Ryo put on some black dress shoes then got his and Tiffany's coats. They put on their coats and walked outside. "Wait, how are we going to get there?"

"Easy." Ryo placed two fingers in his mouth and whistled. White Blaze came up to the two and they got on the tiger's back. "Go to Kento's place, White Blaze." The tiger nodded and took off towards the restaurant.

* * *

><p>Kento placed the plates, silverware, and glasses on a long table. Rini came in and put a napkin on each plate.<p>

A knock sounded at the door and Kento walked over to it, opening the door to see Ryo and Tiffany standing there. "Hey guys, come in." Ryo and Tiffany walked in and Rini saw them; a smile appeared on her face. "Tiffany!" Rini ran towards Tiffany and jumped into her arms. "Hi Rini, how are you?" Tiffany asked, hugging the little girl. "I'm good; mom's in the kitchen making dinner."

"I can smell it, it smells good."

"Are we the first ones here?" Ryo asked Kento.

"Yeah, but you are a little early."

"Ok, is your mother in the kitchen?" Tiffany asked.

Kento nodded.

"I'm going to see if she needs any help. Do you want to come with me, Rini?" The little girl nodded and the two walked into the kitchen.

"So, did she say yes?"

"You have to wait to find out." Ryo walked away, leaving Kento hanging.

Another knock sounded at the door and Kento opened it. "Hey, Rowen, Sage!"

"Merry Christmas, Kento."

"Same to you too." Rowen and Sage walked in and Kento was about to close the door when Cye and Mia came in. "Hello."

"Hi, Kento, how are you?"

"Hungry."

"I'm not surprised," stated Rowen.

"Hey!"

Everyone started laughing and Kento mumbled under his breath. "Where's Tiffany?" Mia asked.

"She's with my mom."

"Did Ryo propose last night?"

"I don't know; Ryo wouldn't tell me."

"Food's ready!" Tiffany called, walking into the room, carrying food. The rest of Kento's family walked out, carrying food as well. There was ham, mashed potatoes, corn, jello, biscuits, etc. They placed the food on the table and everyone sat at the table. They poured the wine and the kids had kids' wine.

"A toast," stated Kento, raising up his glass. "Merry Christmas everyone and also a toast to Ryo and Tiffany; we hope you have a good life together."

"I have something to say," Ryo said. "Tiffany and I are getting married."

The room was filled with people congratulated the two. The men patted Ryo on the back while the women asked Tiffany to see the ring. After the toast was done, everyone filled up their plates and passed around the food so everyone could get something. They started to eat and they also conversed. After all of the food was eaten, they started talking about their lives until the Ronins, Mia, and Tiffany left Kento's home to go home.

* * *

><p>Back at the mansion, the guys were giving out presents to everyone. So far, everyone loved their gifts and now it was Ryo's turn to hand out his presents. Tiffany was the first to open hers and she was shocked to see what she got. In a small box, there was a red, ruby bracelet and the gems were shaped like little flowers. Tiffany smiled at Ryo. "Thanks." She tried to put it on but couldn't so Ryo put the bracelet on for her. The others opened theirs and were happy with their gifts.<p>

"All right, Tiffany's turn," stated Cye.

Tiffany handed out the presents to everyone, hoping that they would like them. Rowen received a book, Kento got a new pair of gym shoes, Cye received tickets to an aquarium show, Sage got slippers, and Mia received a new bathrobe. When Ryo started to open his, Tiffany was silently praying that he would like it. Ryo opened the box and his face lit up. He took out the watch, staring at the design.

"Hey, it has the colors of our armors on it," said Kento.

"That is a really nice watch," Rowen said.

"Agreed," confirmed Sage.

"Do you like it?" Tiffany asked.

Ryo smiled at her. "I do, thank you." He put the watch on and then kissed Tiffany's cheek.

"This has been a great Christmas," said Mia.

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" exclaimed Kento.

The guys started to converse with one another but Tiffany couldn't help that something wasn't right. She looked out the window and saw nothing. Thinking it was her imagination, Tiffany went back to talking with her friends.

* * *

><p>Outside the mansion, a man was looking at the group talking with each other. He focused in on Tiffany and narrowed his eyes. The man took out a phone and dialed a number. "Hey, she's here."<p>

"_Really?_"

"Yeah, do you want me to grab her now?" Silence was on the other end. "Sir?"

"_No, let her have her Christmas. We'll get her back._"

"Yes sir." The man hung up and smirked at Tiffany. "Sooner or later, girl, you'll be ours again and then..." The man laughed and walked away.

* * *

><p><strong>I was trying to think of what other foods people eat on Christmas but I couldn't think, so sorry if that part sucked. <strong>

**Tiffany has been found! Will they get her back or not? You'll have to wait to find out. I might not update tomorrow because my family is having a post-Christmas Eve party. We couldn't have the party yesterday because both of my parents were working yesterday so we decided to have it tomorrow. **

**I hope all of you have a safe and happy Christmas! Please review and Merry Christmas :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi! Spent all day shopping today and I'm really tired right now. **

**Don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 5<p>

A few days have passed and the guys were in the kitchen, eating lunch, when the phone started ringing. Mia walked over to it and answered it. "Hello?" Mia was silent for before saying, "Yes he is." Mia turned to the guys. "Ryo, it's for you."

Ryo got up from his seat, walked over to Mia, and took the phone. "Hello? Dad, is that you?!"

Tiffany's head snapped up and she stared at him. She didn't know that Ryo had a dad nor did he tell her about him.

"How have you been? I've been good. My Christmas was good, I went to my friend's house for Christmas dinner. Oh, dad guess what? I'm getting married! Yeah, I proposed to her on Christmas Eve. You want to meet her?" Ryo looked at Tiffany, who nodded. "Sure, she wants to meet you. Yeah, you can come over. I'll have to ask my host if you can stay for a bit. I can pick you up and bring you here. What time? Ok, I'll see you later. Bye." Ryo hung up.

"What did your old man want?" Kento asked, taking a bite of his toast.

"He wants to come over and catch up with me. He also wants to meet Tiffany," explained Ryo.

"Was he happy with you getting married?" Cye asked.

"Yeah. Mia, is it all right if my dad stays here for a few days?"

"Sure, how long will he stay?"

"About a week."

"So, he's staying until the day after New Year's?" Rowen asked.

"Wait, so all of you knew that Ryo had a father?" Tiffany asked.

The guys were silent nor did they look at Tiffany. "I see." Tiffany stood up and walked out of the room. Ryo followed Tiffany up the stairs and into their room. He saw Tiffany sitting on the bed, staring out the window. Ryo walked over and sat down next to Tiffany. The two didn't acknowledge each other until Ryo said, "I'm sorry."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Tiffany asked.

"Truth is, I haven't seen my dad in years."

Tiffany turned to him, shock on her face. "What? Why?"

"It all started when I was nine. My mom had gotten very sick so my dad and I took her to the hospital. The doctors did all they could, but they told us that she didn't have that long to live. My dad wasn't going to let my mom die so he went out to see if he could find something to cure my mom. My dad would always call, telling me that he was close to a breakthrough.

"The doctors were able to keep my mom's sickness at bay but she couldn't live by herself. They sent her to a shelter where they cared for the sick and homeless. I stayed with her since my dad wasn't there to take care of me. We lived at the shelter for two years and I thought that my dad would come back one day with a cure for my mom.

"Then, a few months after I turned twelve, my mom got very sick again. She looked at me and told me that she would always love me. Her eyes then closed and her heat stop. I called my dad that night and told him what happened; I haven't seen him since."

"Ryo, I am so sorry. But, where did you live after your mom died?"

"Apparently, my mom had asked the employees to take care of me after she died. I lived there until I found out I was a Ronin Warrior and met the others."

Tiffany wrapped her arms around her lover and buried her head in his chest. Ryo placed one hand on Tiffany's back and the other one started stroking her hair. "Tiffany, I'm all right."

"But you've been through so much."

"So have you."

"Yeah, but I never lost my parents." The two sat in silence, holding each other. "Why didn't your dad come back for you?"

"I don't know; I hope to find out today."

"Well, I hope that you and your dad see each other more often afterwards."

"I hope so too." Ryo kissed Tiffany's forehead. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"No, I'm sorry for being mad at you."

"So…I'm not in trouble?"

Tiffany smirked. "No you're not."

"Good." The two shared a kiss. "Do you want to come with me to get my dad?"

Tiffany shook her head. "I think you and your dad need some time to bond again."

"Ok, thanks."

"You're welcome. What time do you have to pick up your dad?"

"In about…" Ryo looked at his watch. "Three hours."

"I'm happy that you like your watch." Tiffany grabbed Ryo's wrist, looking at the watch. "I was afraid that you wouldn't like it."

"I love it, but I love you more." Tiffany smiled and then placed a kiss on Ryo's lips. She placed her head in the crock of Ryo's neck and sighed. "Can we stay like this for a few hours?"

"Sure." Ryo leaned back against the headboard, bringing Tiffany with him. After adjusting himself to be comfortable, Ryo wrapped his arms protectively around Tiffany and held her close. Tiffany closed her eyes and fell asleep.

**THREE HOURS LATER**

Ryo had just left the mansion to go pick up his dad while everyone else was tiding up the place. The guys turned Tiffany's old room into the guest bedroom since Tiffany doesn't use her room anymore. They had finished everything and were now waiting for Ryo to come back.

Tiffany was in the bathroom doing last minute touch-ups on herself She wanted to make a good impression on Ryo's dad so she chose to wear a red blouse, black dress pants, and black pumps. Tiffany put on mascara and lipstick, figuring that she didn't need that much make-up on. She then finished French-braiding her hair when she heard the door open. "Hello, you must be Ryo's father," Tiffany heard Mia say. "I'm Mia."

"I'm guessing you're the host who's letting my son stay here," a man said.

_He's sounds strangely familiar,_ Tiffany thought to herself.

"Yes, that's me."

"These are your friends, I assume."

"Yeah, this is Sage, Cye, Kento, and Rowen," explained Ryo.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Sanada," Cye stated.

Tiffany walked out of the bathroom and down the stairs.

"Where is your fiancé, Ryo?" the man asked.

Tiffany walked into the living room to see a man with short black hair wearing a black dress shirt, pants, and shoes. As she looked at the man, trying to figure out why he was so familiar, Ryo turned around to notice Tiffany. "Ah, there she is. Dad, this is my fiancé, Tiffany." Ryo's father turned around and when Tiffany stared into the man's eyes, her heart almost stopped. The man that kidnapped her, tortured her, and nearly starved her to death was standing a few feet away from her, and what's worse; he's Ryo's father. "Dante," whispered Tiffany. Dante gave her an evil smirk and that was the last thing Tiffany saw before everything went black.

* * *

><p><strong>Plot twist! In the next chapter, you'll find out more information about Dante and Tiffany's past. I'm going to bed because I'm having trouble keeping my eyes opened. Review and goodnight.<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi, peeps! I have a new chapter for all of you. A little heads up, there is going to be some colorful language in this chapter so all of you have been warned.**

**Don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 6<p>

Tiffany woke up and found herself on a bed. She sat up and looked around, trying to remember how she got here. Tiffany then felt a pain in her head and went to touch her head when she felt a bandage on her forehead. "What happened?" Tiffany asked herself.

"You hit your head on the corner of the table when you passed out." Tiffany turned around and saw Ryo standing by the door. He walked in and sat down next to her. "How are you feeling?"

"My head still hurts."

"Here, I got you some aspirin." Ryo gave Tiffany the pills and a glass of water. Tiffany swallowed the pills and drank some of the water. Ryo moved some of Tiffany's hair back to look at the bandage. "It looks like it needs to be change." He took out a bandage and then started taking off the bandage on Tiffany's head. When the bandage was removed, Ryo saw that there was some dry blood around the cut. "I'll be right back." Ryo left, leaving Tiffany sitting on the bed.

"Hello, Tiffany."

Tiffany looked up and widen her eyes. Dante stood at the doorway, smiling at her. He started walking towards her while Tiffany crawled away from him. Dante stood in front of her and then grabbed her throat, choking her. "Listen well, bitch. I'm here to visit my son and I'm not happy that you are engaged to him. Now, unless you want to be back on that table, strapped down and experimented on again, you're not going to tell my son how you know me, got it?" Tiffany didn't answer for she was trying to get his hand off. "Got it?!"

"Yes," Tiffany choked out. Dante released Tiffany's throat and Tiffany coughed, rubbing her throat. Dante leaned towards her and whispered, "You know, it's been a while since I've last saw you, and I must say; you look sexy. I hope you haven't forgotten about our little time together." Dante licked her cheek and Tiffany whimpered.

Ryo walked back in and stared at Dante. "Dad, what are you doing?"

Dante turned around. "I was just checking on Tiffany to make sure that she's all right."

"Is that true, Tiffany?" Ryo asked.

Tiffany looked at her lover and then back at Dante. She wanted to tell Ryo that Dante was the one who kidnapped and tortured her but she was scared that Dante would take her back. Also, she didn't want Ryo to know that his father was the cause of her pain for eight years. "Yeah, that's what happened."

Ryo nodded. "Dad, if you don't mind, I would like to finish fixing Tiffany."

"Of course, son." Dante started walking out of the room but stopped and looked at Tiffany. "I would love to get to know you better, Tiffany; maybe after you get better." Tiffany paled then Dante left the room.

Ryo placed a damp cloth on Tiffany's cut and wiped away the dried blood. "So, why did you pass out?"

"I…I don't know."

"Tiffany, don't lie to me; there had to be something to make you pass out."

"Well…your father kind of looked like one of the man who…"

"Who what?"

Tiffany didn't speak and Ryo removed the cloth away from her head. "Who kidnapped and tortured you?"

"I'm not saying that."

"But-"

"Ryo, I said he looked like him. Your father is nothing like those men." Tiffany felt so bad for lying to Ryo but she had to do it.

"Ok, just remember; you can tell me anything." Ryo placed the new bandage on Tiffany's cut and then kissed her head. "You want to go downstairs."

Tiffany nodded. Ryo helped Tiffany up and the two walked downstairs into the living room.

"Tiffany, you're awake," said Sage.

"Are you all right?" Mia asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," reassured Tiffany.

"That's good."

"We were starting to worry about you," said Cye.

"Well, Ryo was mostly worried," Kento stated.

"Why? How long was I out?" Tiffany asked.

"About a day," said Rowen.

"A day?"

"Yeah, you missed a lot," said Kento. "You missed getting to hang out with Dante."

"I did?"

"Yeah, he's pretty cool."

"What did he tell you about?"

"I told them about my adventures on trying to find a cure for my wife and afterwards," Dante said, walking into the room.

"Hi, dad," greeted Ryo.

"Hello, son. I see that you're feeling better, Tiffany."

"Yeah," Tiffany shakily answered.

"So, do you guys want to go out?"

"Out? Out where?" Cye asked.

"I can treat all of you to lunch."

"Where can we go to eat?" asked Kento.

"Wherever you want to."

"Good, cause I know a good restaurant." Kento got up and headed out the door.

"Is he always like that?"

"Sadly, yes," answered Sage.

The guys got ready and left the mansion to go out to eat.

* * *

><p>At a Chinese restaurant downtown, the Ronins, Tiffany, Mia, and Dante were sitting at a table, waiting for their food. Dante had purposely sat next to Tiffany so she was sitting in-between Ryo and Dante.<p>

"So, Ryo, how did you meet your friends?" Dante asked after they had ordered their food.

"I was walking through the city when I was seventeen and I met Rowen in one of the stores," explained Ryo. "We started talking and when I found out that we had something in common, we became friends. I then met the others the next day."

"Really? What do all of you have in common?"

The guys tried to think of something to tell Dante without saying that they are the Ronin Warriors.

"Martial arts," said Rowen. "We all like martial arts."

"I didn't know you were into martial arts, Ryo," said Dante.

"I actually got into it when I was sixteen," stated Ryo.

"Where did all of you practice then?"

"My father owns a dojo so we would practice there," said Sage.

"Well I would love to see what you have learned Ryo."

"Sure, dad."

"Now, how did you meet my son, Mia?"

"I'm…um…"

Dante stared at Mia, an eyebrow raised.

"Her grandfather!" exclaimed Cye.

"I'm sorry?"

"Yeah, my grandfather worked at the dojo and one day I was there with him and that's when I meet the guys," explained Mia.

"I see, and what about you, Tiffany?" Dante looked at Tiffany, a smirk on his face. "How did you and my son meet?"

"In the forest," said Kento but then slapped his hand over his mouth.

"A forest? Ryo, is this true?"

Ryo was at a loss for words but Tiffany didn't care what she said. "Yes, yes he did."

"Why?"

"Let's just say I had a shitty past and I really don't want to talk about it."

The guys widen their eyes at Tiffany's choice of words and Ryo couldn't believe that Tiffany was talking to his father like that. They were even more shocked when Dante started laughing. "She has a mouth, doesn't she?"

Ryo meekly nodded.

"It's all right; I like women with spunk." Dante grabbed Tiffany's hand and squeezed. "I think we will get along fine." Tiffany drew her hand back and looked away from him.

Soon, the food arrived and everyone dung in. While the guys were conversing with one another, Dante leaned in by Tiffany's ear and whispered, "Just remember, I'll be here for a week."

Tears threatened to escape Tiffany's eyes when she heard that. She forgot that Dante was going to stay until after New Year's. Tiffany only hoped that she could survive the week and not spill Dante's little secret.

* * *

><p><strong>How many of you hate Dante right now? I do but don't worry; he'll get caught soon enough. Please review; bye!<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, and Happy New Year! There is a little drama in the first half of the chapter but then the rest is about celebrating the New Year.**

**Don't own the Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 7<p>

Tiffany was getting tired of having Dante around the mansion. The whole time Dante was here, he would make rude comments, grope her breast or butt when the guys weren't looking, or slap or hit her. Through it all, Tiffany never once told Ryo or the others about what Dante had done to her in the past. Tiffany did, however; find some tricks to get away from Dante. Whenever Tiffany was with Ryo, Dante would leave her alone and not bother her. Also, if Dante invited her to go somewhere with him, Tiffany would make up some excuse as to why she couldn't go. Tiffany had thought about living with her parents until Dante left but that would arouse suspicion, so; Tiffany dealt with Dante.

Today was New Year's Eve so tomorrow, Dante would leave and Tiffany couldn't wait until tomorrow. Tiffany walked into the kitchen that morning feeling kind of sluggish. She didn't sleep that good last night and she was tossing and turning all night.

"Tiffany, are you ok?" Mia asked. "You don't look so good."

"Yeah, you look like crap," stated Kento.

"Thanks, I feel so much better," spat Tiffany.

"Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?" Rowen asked.

"I just didn't sleep good last night."

"Why?" Dante asked, a smirk on his face. "Was something on your mind?" Dante knew that he plagues Tiffany's dreams at night but he wanted to hear it from her mouth.

Tiffany, however; was not going to give Dante the satisfaction of admitting why she was having bad dreams so instead, she just glared at him.

Ryo stared at his father and Tiffany and sighed. He knew that those two didn't get along but he didn't know why. Ryo also noticed that when Dante would hit a soft spot about Tiffany's past, Dante would smirk while Tiffany trembled. Every time he confronted Tiffany about it, she will ignore him or tell him it's nothing. Ryo hope that after Dante would leave, Tiffany would tell him why she didn't like Dante.

"Ryo, may I talk to you?" Sage asked, breaking Ryo out of his thoughts.

"Sure." The two walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. "You notice what's wrong with Tiffany, right?" asked Sage.

"I do, but every time I go to talk to her about it, she won't tell me," explained Ryo. "It's like she knows something that she doesn't want me to know."

"What is she hiding?"

"I don't know; I hope to find out soon though." The two walked back into the kitchen and sat down.

"Tiffany, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me today before I leave tomorrow," said Dante.

"I can't; I'm hanging out with my friend today," answered Tiffany.

"Why are you always busy when Dante wants to hang out with you?" Kento asked. "You haven't spent time with Dante unless it's with us."

"Yeah, Tiffany; spend some time with your future father-in-law," said Cye.

Tiffany stared at her friends then stared at Dante, who was smiling evilly at her. Her heart started to race and she could feel herself starting to panic. Tiffany shook her head; she couldn't take it anymore. "Ryo, can we talk?"

Ryo nodded then followed Tiffany into the living room. "What's up?"

"Ryo, I didn't want to tell you because I wanted you to be closer to your father, but I can't handle it."

"Handle what?"

Tiffany looked at the kitchen doorway then back at Ryo. "It's Dante; he's the one that kidnapped me and tortured me for those eight years."

Ryo eyes grew wide. "What?"

"It's true."

"I…I don't believe you."

"Ryo, has he even told you what he did to find the cure? Or where he has been after your mother died?"

Ryo opened his mouth to answer but stopped, Tiffany was right; he didn't know about anyone of those things. He stared at Tiffany and then noticed that there was fear in her eyes. Ryo narrowed his eyes and walked into the kitchen. "Dad, I need to talk to you."

"Sure, son." Dante got up and walked into the living room. The others huddled around the door to listen in on the conversation. "What do you want to talk about?"

"What did you do to find a cure for mom?"

Dante stared at him. "I traveled around the world to get advice from different doctors."

"And what about after mom died?"

"I…I stayed back because I was upset about your mother died."

"For eight years?"

Dante was getting nervous about his son asking all these questions. "Why do you want to know?"

"Tiffany told me that you're the one who tortured her for eight years."

"What?!" Dante glared at Tiffany, who took a step back.

"Dad, is this true?"

"Ryo, do you really think I would do something like that? Would you really believe this girl over me, your father?"

Ryo looked at Dante and then back at Tiffany. He really wanted to believe Tiffany but Ryo couldn't. "I'm sorry, Tiffany."

Tiffany stared at him, tears appearing in her eyes. She shook her head and then ran out of the house. Dante smirked at this but then covered it. "Let me talk to her; I think she's just a little stressed out."

"I don't know."

"Please, this needs to be sorted out."

After thinking about it, Ryo nodded and then Dante left. The Ronins came into the living room, staring at Ryo in disbelief. "Are you really-"

"Shh!" Ryo looked at the door then back at the guys. "I'm actually going to follow my father to see what he does."

"We're coming with you," stated Cye.

Ryo nodded and the guys followed Ryo outside.

* * *

><p>Tiffany was sitting in front of a tree, crying, when she heard footsteps approaching her. She looked up and saw Dante standing before her, glaring at her. Tiffany crawled away from him, her body shaking. "How dare you tell my son what happened!" Dante took a deep breath and then let it out. "I guess you need to be punished." Tiffany raised her head, making an earth spike. She threw it at Dante but he defected it. Tiffany tried sending more to him but Dante deflected all of them. "You're no match for me, sweetheart; I know all you're little tricks." Tiffany started to run away but Dante raised his hand. Tiffany felt her body tightening and stopped running in her tracks. She collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath and her body trembling in pain. "Let's see if I can make you scream." Dante turned his hand a little bit, making Tiffany's arm twist at a painful angle. Tiffany bit her lip to keep herself from screaming in pain. Dante kept on turning his hand back and forth to twist Tiffany's body in different angles. He then started walking towards Tiffany and started kicking her in the gut. Tiffany screamed in pain and Dante smiled. "There we go." Dante continued to kick Tiffany while her body kept on twisting in pain. "Stop! Please stop!" Tiffany cried.<p>

"Leave her alone!"

Dante turned around and was met with a kick to the face. He stumbled back, clutching his jaw. Dante looked up to see Ryo standing in front of Tiffany, with his friends surrounding Ryo. "Tiffany was right about you."

"Ryo, this bitch was the reason you're mother died. This girl has unbelievable power and if I was able to harness it, I would have been able to cure her."

"My powers can't do that," stated Tiffany. "You can't take my powers and use them to cure a disease or sickness."

"You can't just kidnap people to make them give you a cure either," said Ryo.

Dante looked at Ryo, his eyes narrowing. "Son-"

"No dad, you need to leave; now!"

"Remember this, bitch," Dante spat at Tiffany. "Since you told my son, I will take you back."

Tiffany trembled in fear as Dante walked away. Ryo turned to Tiffany and knelt beside her. "I'm so sorry this happened; I should have believed you right there and then."

"It's ok." Tiffany sniffed as she tried to keep herself from crying.

"Come here." Ryo brought Tiffany into his arms and held her as Tiffany cried. Tiffany clutched Ryo's shirt and Ryo rubbed her back, trying to comfort her. He then picked her up, bridal style, and carried her back to the mansion. Ryo sat down on the couch and placed Tiffany on his lap. "It'll be ok," Ryo said. "I promise."

"He's going to take me back," whispered Tiffany. "I can't go back there."

"You're not going to; I'm not letting him take you."

Tiffany buried her head in Ryo's chest and breathed in his scent.

"Let's get our minds off this," said Rowen.

"Yeah, it's New Year's Eve," stated Kento.

"You're right," Tiffany said, wiping her eyes. "Sorry guys."

"It's all right," said Cye.

"We should go out somewhere," stated Sage.

"Where to?" Ryo asked.

"Tiffany should decide," said Mia. "Where do you want to go?"

Tiffany thought about it before answering, "I kind of in the mood for Italian food."

"I know a great Italian restaurant downtown," said Rowen. "I can tell you where to go."

"All right, let's go," said Mia.

The guys grabbed their coats and headed out the door.

* * *

><p>At a restaurant called Italiano, the guys were sitting at a table, looking over their menus.<p>

"There's nothing greasy on this menu," whined Kento.

"What are you talking about? There are some Italian foods that are greasy," said Sage.

"No, I mean there's no cheeseburgers or steaks."

"You can't have everything, Kento," Rowen said.

A waiter came over. "Hello my name is Sebastian, can I start you out with something to drink?"

"I'll have a Coke," said Ryo.

"Same," Sage said.

"Sprite," said Cye.

"Root Beer," Kento said.

"Coke," said Rowen.

"Orange," Tiffany said.

"I'll take water," said Mia.

Sebastian wrote the drink orders down. "Are you ready to order or do you need a few more minutes?"

"A few more minutes," said Kento.

"Ok, I'll be back with your drinks." Sebastian walked away.

"Is it that hard to order something to eat?" Cye asked.

"I'm sorry I don't really eat Italian food."

Cye then leaned over and helped Kento pick out something to eat.

Sebastian then came back and handed out the drinks to everyone. "Are you ready to order?"

"Yeah," said Mia.

"Ok, what do you want?"

"I'll have chicken Parmesan," said Ryo.

"I will take the cheese ravioli," Sage said.

"I'll take lasagna," said Cye.

"I will have the meatball sub," Kento said.

"I'll have the grilled chicken salad," said Rowen.

"I will have the spaghetti with meatballs," said Tiffany.

"I'll have the garden salad," said Mia.

"All right, I'll be back with your food," Sebastian said and then left.

"See Kento, there are greasy foods at an Italian restaurant," said Rowen.

"Shut up," mumbled Kento.

Ryo then raised his glass. "Happy New Year, guys."

Everyone else raised their glasses. "Happy New Year." Everyone took a sip and then conversation started at the table. About twenty minutes later, Sebastian came back with the food and gave it to the guys. They dug into their food, talking while they ate.

* * *

><p>The Ronins, Mia, and Tiffany got back at the mansion about two hours later. While the guys went upstairs, Ryo grabbed Tiffany's arm. "I want to take you somewhere." Tiffany nodded and Ryo led her outside and onto the roof. "So what are you doing up here?"<p>

"Looking at the stars," Ryo stated.

Tiffany smiled and gazed at the stars with Ryo. She then started laughing.

"What?" Ryo asked.

"That one looks like White Blaze," said Tiffany, pointing at a group of stars. Ryo looked at where Tiffany was pointing at and started laughing. "Yeah, it kind of does."

They kept on staring at the stars when Ryo's watch beeped. "What was that for?" Tiffany asked.

"It's midnight."

"Already?"

Ryo showed her the watch and Tiffany widen her eyes. "Wow, time has gone by."

"Yeah. Happy New Year, sweetheart."

"Happy New Year, Wildfire."

The two shared a short but sweet kiss and then continued to stare at the stars.

* * *

><p><strong>Aw, they are having a tender moment. I hope you liked this chapter. Please review; bye :)<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**First update of the New Year and I know, it's been a while, but this chapter was hard to write. It took me some time before I got the final idea for this chapter. **

**Hope you enjoy and I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 8<p>

Ever since Dante left, Tiffany had been feeling a lot better and she thought that life would be too. Well, it didn't really turn out that way. About a week later, Tiffany started receiving threat letters from Dante, explaining what would happen to her in full detail. At first, it was only a letter per week; but then, Tiffany started receiving them every day. Some of the letters were so bad that Tiffany had nightmares that night and when she woke, she couldn't fall back asleep.

One night, Tiffany was asleep with Ryo beside her. While Ryo slept peacefully, Tiffany was curled up in a ball and her body was trembling.

* * *

><p><em>Dante and two other men stood before Tiffany, smiling evilly. Tiffany turned to run but one of the men grabbed her and slammed her to the ground. She opened her mouth to scream but the other man stuffed a gag in her mouth. Dante then leaned over, grabbing her chin, and forced her to look at him. He took out a knife and started dragging it down Tiffany's stomach. Tiffany struggled to get away from Dante but the two men held her down, making Tiffany's attempts futile. Dante pushed the knife into her stomach and Tiffany released a muffled scream. Tiffany could feel the knife inside her, moving around, as a pool of blood surrounded her. The two men took out their own knives and plunged them into Tiffany's arm, twisting the weapon and moving it around her arm. Tears ran down Tiffany's face as she left out muffled cries of help, hoping someone would hear her and stop this. The men just laughed and continued their assault.<em>

* * *

><p>"Tiffany!"<p>

Tiffany's eyes snapped open and she stared into her lover's eyes, which were filled with worry. Tiffany started breathing heavily as she looked around the room, trying to get her bearings straight. When she realized that it was all a dream and that she wasn't in the clutches of those sadistic people, Tiffany launched at Ryo and held onto him for dear life. Ryo wrapped his arms around Tiffany and held her tight, stroking her soft blond hair. "It was painful," muttered Tiffany. "The knives…they were in my stomach and my…my arms."

"Shh, it was just a dream," soothed Ryo. "You're here, in my arms." Ryo kissed Tiffany's head and held her tighter. He then felt Tiffany shaking and looked down to see tears streaming down his lover's face. Ryo started rocking Tiffany and hummed a tune he remember his mother singing to him. After a few minutes, Ryo noticed that Tiffany had stopped shaking, her eyes were closed, and her breath was even. He pulled Tiffany down, laying her beside him. Ryo drew the covers over them and then stared at Tiffany's sleeping face. He wiped away the tears so that it didn't look like Tiffany had been crying. "I'll always be here, Tiffany," Ryo whispered into Tiffany's ear. "I'm never leaving your side." Ryo then fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Early the next morning, Tiffany woke up and quietly got out of bed, so as not to disturb her partner. She walked downstairs and into the kitchen, were she started making herself a cup of coffee. While the coffee was burring, Tiffany heard someone walk into the kitchen and turned around. Cye stood in the doorway, starring at Tiffany. "You're up early."<p>

"Yeah."

Cye stared at Tiffany. "Is something wrong?"

"I…I didn't sleep good last night."

"Nightmare?"

Tiffany nodded. Cye left it at that and went to make breakfast. He knew better than to ask Tiffany what her nightmares were about. The one time he did, Tiffany relived the nightmare and started screaming; it scared not only him, but everyone. "Do you want anything for your coffee?"

"Some milk, please."

Cye walked over to fridge, opened it, and took out the milk. He gave it to Tiffany and then went back to the fridge to take out more items to make breakfast. When the coffee was made, Tiffany poured herself a cup and mixed the milk into it. She sat down at the table and watched Cye make breakfast. As Tiffany took a sip of her coffee, Kento came into the kitchen, hungry for some food. "Hey, Tiffany, Cye." The two greeted back and Kento stood next to Cye, waiting. "Kento, you can go and sit down with Tiffany while I finish the food," said Cye. Kento grumbled but sat down anyway, making Tiffany chuckle.

As time passed, everyone else had gotten up and was sitting at the table, waiting for food. Cye finished making breakfast and placed it on the table; there were pancakes, sausages, and bacon. Everyone took their pick and started to eat. Ryo kept on glancing at Tiffany every once in a while, making sure that she was ok. Tiffany noticed him doing that and gave him a reassuring smile. She then finished her food and got up to put her dishes in the sink. Just before Tiffany was able to walk away, a chain burst through the window and wrapped around Tiffany's throat, pulling her out of the house. Tiffany landed on the ground then looked up. Before her were two men that she knew, and not in a good way.

"Tiffany!" Ryo exclaimed, getting up and running out of the house, with the others following. The Ronins put on their sub-armors and, once they were outside, looked at the men standing before them. One of the men had short silver hair and grey eyes. He was wearing a white lab coat, white dress pants and shoes, and a grey dress shirt. The man was also wearing glasses and he had a bored look on his face. The other man had shoulder length, unruly brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing an old fashion, dark brown armor and he had a chain with a metal spike attacked to it as a weapon. The man had a hungry look in his eyes as he stared Tiffany down, taking in her appearance. "You look mighty tasty, sweetheart," the man said, licking his lips. He then leaned down and took a sniff, making Tiffany tremble under his approach. "You smell good too but I wonder..." The man licked Tiffany's check and then sighed. "You do taste good."

"Stop it!" yelled Ryo, getting the attention of the men.

"Who the hell are you?" the brown-haired man asked.

"We could ask you the same thing," spat Rowen.

"I am Dexter," stated the silver-haired man. "This is my associate, Jax. Now who are you?"

"We are the Ronin Warriors and you making our friend uncomfortable," said Sage.

"We don't want to fight so let her go," Cye said.

"Or we'll have to use force," Kento said, cracking his knuckles.

Jax started laughing. "Are you kidding?! We have a perfect specimen in our midst; we're not just going to let her go."

"Indeed," agreed Dexter. "But it looks like we have more specimens, since you claim to be the Ronin Warriors."

"You know about us?" Ryo asked.

"Yes, we know all about your armors and the powers they contain." A crazy look appeared on Dexter's face. "I can't wait to experiment on you!"

The Ronins were immediately creeped out by this guy; he looked like a psychopath.

"Now, we have to take this one back to her home," Jax said, pulling on Tiffany's hair, which made Tiffany shriek in pain. "Our master has 'plans' for her."

"You mean Dante?" Sage asked.

Jax glared at Sage. "How do you know about him?"

"He's my father," stated Ryo.

"Really?"

"Well, let me make an offer for you, Ryo," said Dexter. "Join us and experiment on this girl. We have many 'toys' to choose from and we'll let you have fun with her first."

Ryo couldn't believe what he was hearing. This sick man had asked him to basically torture and rape his fiancé. Ryo looked at Tiffany and was shocked by what he saw. Fear was evident in Tiffany's eyes and way she looked at him reminded Ryo of when they first met. Ryo glared at Dexter and Jax, anger flowing through him. "I'm not going to join you or hurt Tiffany. Armor of Wildfire! Dao Jin!"

"Halo!"

"Strata!"

"Torrent!"

"Hardrock!"

Cherry blossoms surrounded the five Ronins as their armors appeared on them. They took out their weapons and stared Dexter and Jax down.

"Impressive armor," stated Jax, then looked at Dexter. "Do you mind if I take this one?"

"Sure," Dexter said.

Jax smiled and then handed Tiffany to Dexter. Jax started twirling his chain while the Ronins prepared for his attack. He then threw the chain but the guys dodged it. They charged at Jax but Jax was able to avoid the guys' attacks. Jax suddenly disappeared and the next thing the guys knew, they were pushed to the ground. They looked up to see Jax staring at them, smiling. "He's fast," commented Sage.

"Very," agreed Rowen.

Ryo looked at Jax and then at Tiffany. He promised her that he wasn't going to let anyone hurt her and he was going to keep that promise. "Guys, I need you to distract Jax while I get to Dexter," said Ryo.

"Why?" Kento asked.

"I can't let those men take Tiffany and torture her again."

"Don't worry; we'll help you," said Cye.

"Thanks."

Sage, Cye, Kento, and Rowen looked at each other and then nodded. They all charged at Jax and while he was distracted, Ryo got around Jax and headed towards Dexter. Before Ryo was able to get to him, Dexter smirked and then Ryo stopped in his tracks. He couldn't move his body even when he tried. "Ryo!" the guys yelled. They tried to get to him but Jax blocked their way.

"Did you honestly think you could stop us?" Dexter asked, staring at Ryo. "You should reconsider my offer, Ryo; because when you experiment on this girl, you get powers."

"I was able to gain incredible speed while Dexter gained the ability to control people and other special abilities," explained Jax.

"Dante, however; is more powerful than either of us; he would crush you all." Dexter smirked as Ryo felt himself being forced to his knees. His arm raised and the sword was pointed to his throat. "I don't think Dante wouldn't mind if I killed his son."

"No!" Tiffany screamed, raising her arm. Earth wrapped around Dexter and it caught him off guard, releasing his hold on Ryo. Tiffany looked at Jax and narrowed her eyes. A wind gust blew Jax into Dexter and then Tiffany threw them into the forest. Once they were gone, Tiffany started to breathe heavily as she tried to catch her breath. "Tiffany?" She turned around to see Ryo. "Are you all right?" Tiffany nodded. "I'm fine." Tears streamed down her face. "I'm fine, I'm fine." Ryo brought Tiffany into his arms and held her as she cried.

* * *

><p>"You tried what?!" Dante exclaimed, glaring at Dexter and Jax.<p>

"I thought that you wouldn't mind if your son was dead so-"

"I do not wish that my son was dead! It's that girl!" Dante turned around, knocking over a desk in the process. "It's the girl; if she haven't had escape that night, my son would be on my side."

"So what do we do, Dante?" asked Jax. "I mean, the Ronin Warriors will be there to protect her."

"Wait did you say?"

"The Ronin Warriors."

"You found them?"

Jax nodded.

"First Ryo falls in love with the girl and now he knows the Ronin Warriors."

"I wouldn't say he knows them," said Dexter.

"You mean…?"

Jax and Dexter looked away from Dante, not meeting his gaze. "Well, I guess it's time to see how my son has improved his fighting skills." Dante left the room, smiling. He had a plan and if it went perfectly, Tiffany would be back in his grasp.

* * *

><p><strong>I would like to give a shout out to tmdrago for the names of the villains. We talked about this and I really liked the names that she gave me. The next chapter will be even more intense so get ready for it. I'm tired, it's late, I'm going to bed. Review and goodnight :)<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**New chapter everyone; hope you like!**

**I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 9<p>

Over the next few days, the Ronins were training and they were also keeping Tiffany safe. Now that Dante, Jax, and Dexter know where Tiffany lives, the guys were taking extra precaution to make sure she stayed safe. The Ronins also told Kayura, Anubis, and the ex-Warlords about the new villains so that they would be prepared as well. Tiffany felt comfortable knowing that her friends were protecting her but she was getting upset that she couldn't do a lot of things anymore. If she wanted to go outside, one of the guys had to go with her to watch. Tiffany was also upset with Ryo because the two haven't spent time together.

Tiffany walked outside one day and watched them train. She waited patiently until the fight between Sage and Cye had ended, with the winner being Sage. "Good fight, Cye," Sage commented, helping Cye up.

"You too, Sage."

"Rowen, it's you and me," said Ryo.

"You've been in a lot of fights, Ryo; maybe you should take a break," said Rowen.

"No, I'm fine."

"Ryo, can I talk to you?" Tiffany asked.

"Yeah, go talk to your fiancé while Rowen and I fight," said Kento.

Ryo nodded and then walked away while Rowen and Kento circled each other. "What is it?"

"It's just that we haven't really spent any time together," said Tiffany.

"What do you mean? We spend time every day."

"No, I mean that we never have our little moments anymore. Whenever I want to be with you, you say that you need to train. It's been five days and we haven't talked, gone on a date, or even made love."

"Tiffany, I'm training to keep you safe."

"I know, but I miss the Ryo that was by my side at night to keep the nightmares away, I want the man who was sweet to me during the day and then go on little dates with me at night. The man that stands before me is all about training."

"I'm sorry if I want to train to keep you safe."

"Ryo, all I want is for you to just spend some time with me." Tiffany reached out and grabbed Ryo's hand. "Please, I miss you."

Ryo stared into Tiffany's eyes and saw the begging look in her eyes. He then realized that he had been avoiding Tiffany and knew that he had to stop that. "I'll be right back." Ryo walked over to Sage and started talking; Sage smiled and nodded. Ryo walked back over to Tiffany and reverted back to his clothes. "So, what do you want to do?"

"What about your training?"

"I told Sage that I'm going to spend the rest of the day with you."

Tiffany smiled and then looked at Sage. She mouthed thank you which Sage returned with a nod. Tiffany grabbed Ryo's hand and dragged him in the house, up the stairs, and into their bedroom. After the door was closed and locked, Tiffany jumped on Ryo and started kissing him. Ryo wrapped his arms around Tiffany's waist, holding her up, as he carried her over to the bed. He placed her on the bed and hovered over her, trailing his hand up her shirt. Tiffany gasped as she felt a hand on her breast; she leaned her head back, moaning as Ryo attacked her neck, lightly biting it. Tiffany pushed her hands up Ryo's shirt, feeling his abs and strong chest. Ryo took off his shirt and then took of Tiffany's. He stared at Tiffany, stroking her soft hair. "I love you." Tiffany smiled. "I love you, too." The two continued to kiss, roaming their hands around each other.

* * *

><p>The other Ronins were taking a break from training when Kento asked, "What happened to Ryo? After Rowen and I finished our fight, we saw that he and Tiffany were gone."<p>

"He said he wanted to spend the rest of the day with Tiffany," explained Sage. "Tiffany told him that they haven't spent a lot of time together these past few days so Ryo went with her."

"Ryo deserves a break and Tiffany deserves to be with Ryo," said Cye. "All Ryo's been doing is training while Tiffany's been trying to get his attention."

"So we should keep quiet," said Rowen.

Everyone looked at him. "What do you mean, Rowen?" Sage asked.

"We should let Tiffany and Ryo have some alone time, so we won't bother them unless they come to us."

"But what if Dante or those other two freaks show up?" asked Kento.

"How about this; we won't bother the two unless they come to us or if it's an emergency," said Cye.

Rowen, Sage, and Kento nodded, agreeing with Cye.

"Hey, guys!"

The four Ronins turned around to see Yulie on White Blaze's back, who was running towards them. "Yulie, how've you been?" Kento asked, once the boy got close to them.

"I'm fine, but it's been pretty boring lately. After I got back home, my parents wouldn't let me come visit you because we had to see my aunt and uncle for New Year's."

"Did you have a good Christmas and New Year's?" asked Cye.

"Yeah, I did. Hey, why are you guys wearing your armors? And where's Ryo?"

"Ryo is spending some time with Tiffany and there's someone from Tiffany's past who is after her so we're training in case we have to fight," explained Rowen.

"Why are they after Tiffany?"

"I think that's a question you'll have to ask Tiffany yourself, kiddo," said Sage.

"Ok." Yulie started walking towards the mansion. "I'm going to let Mia know I'm here and then I'm going to talk to Tiffany."

"No, don't bother Tiffany, Yulie," said Cye.

"Why not?"

"Tiffany wants to spend some time with Ryo so they want to be left alone," stated Sage.

"Oh…I'll just talk to Tiffany and Ryo at dinner then." Yulie and White Blaze went into the mansion.

"Ok, break time's over; back to training," said Rowen.

* * *

><p>Ryo and Tiffany were lying in bed, sleeping in each other's arms, when a knock sounded at the door. The couple didn't hear the knock but were woken up when the knock was replaced by a banging. "I got it," Ryo mumbled. He got up, put his clothes back on, and walked over to the door. Ryo looked back at Tiffany to make sure she was covered before unlocking and opening the door. Kento stood on the other side and Ryo could see that there was a troubled look on his friend's face. "What's wrong, Kento?"<p>

"Your father's here," stated Kento.

Ryo widen his eyes and Tiffany drew in a shaky breath. "I'm coming." Ryo looked at Tiffany. "Stay here." Tiffany nodded and then Ryo ran with Kento down the stairs and outside where Dante stood at the edge of the forest. Ryo put on his sub-armor and stood alongside his friends. "What do you want, Dante?"

"Ryo, it's rude to call your father by his first name," said Dante. "Now apologize."

"Let's make a deal; stop trying to get Tiffany and I'll call you 'dad' again."

Dante narrowed his eyes. "Why do you care so much for this girl? What did the girl do to you to make you fall in love with her?"

"She didn't do anything to me! I fell in love with her and when she told me that my own father tortured and nearly starved her to death for eight years, I promised myself to protect her from you!"

"What is wrong with you?"

"No, what is wrong with you?! What happened to the man who loved his wife and his son? What happened to you when you went off to look for a cure for mom?"

"You want to know what happened? Fine, I'll tell you; Talpa happened."

Silence filled the air and no one said a word. "Did you just say Talpa?" Ryo slowly asked.

"Yes. He came to me, telling me of a girl with the power of the elements. He told me that if I joined him and helped him to locate the girl, then he would give me the cure for your mother. I accepted but when I found Tiffany, I knew this kind of power couldn't be for him. So instead of turning her over to Talpa, I hid her from Talpa and started to observe her power, wondering how much she had. Soon, I was able to figure out that I could steal some of her power and morph it into my own; I gained unbelievable power as did my assistants.

"As time went by, we learned more about the girl's powers and I figured that I could somehow morph her powers into a substance to cure your mother. I tried many tactics and used much of my equipment to make a cure but I would always end up with nothing. Then, when I was on a breakthrough, I received your call saying that my wife had passed away. At first I grieved, thinking I had failed my only love. But then, I realized that it wasn't my fault, but the girl's! She wouldn't let me have the cure so I took my anger out on her."

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Kento exclaimed.

"How could you blame someone about your wife's death and then torture her for it?" Cye questioned.

"You don't understand!" shouted Dante. "Ryo, the girl is the cause of your mother's death. You are getting married to the person who killed your own mother!"

"Tiffany didn't kill my mother! If anything, you're the one who has been a terrible father!"

Dante's eyes widen and he screamed in anger. "From this day forward, you are no longer my son but my enemy!" Dante took out a very large and sharp blade and pointed it at the Ronins. "Fight me, Ronin Warriors!"

The Ronins called forth their armors and then charged at Dante.

* * *

><p>Tiffany was sitting on her bed, wondering how the guys were doing, when the balcony doors opened. She turned around and widen her eyes. Jax stood at the entrance, smiling at her. "Hello again, sweetheart. Miss me?" He started walking towards her as Tiffany backed away from him.<p>

Just then, the door to the bedroom opened and White Blaze jumped up, attacking Jax. "Cursed beast!" spat Jax, trying to get the tiger off him. Tiffany took this as her opportunity and fled. She jumped out the window and, using the element of air, landed safely on the ground. Tiffany took off towards forest, hoping to put some distance between herself and Jax, when she was tackled to the ground. She looked up to see Dexter hovering over her. Tiffany started to struggle and she formed vines to wrap around Dexter. The vines started to lift Dexter off Tiffany and just as Tiffany was about to run, she felt something stab her neck. Tiffany started to feel drowsy and she could she dark spots covering her vision. She collapsed to the ground and she fought to stay conscious but it wasn't working. "Ryo," Tiffany whispered before her eyes closed and everything went black.

* * *

><p>Dante avoided another arrow then raised his sword to block Sage's attack. He pushed Sage back and glared at the Ronins. <em>Dante, we got the girl.<em> After receiving the message from Dexter, Dante smiled and put his sword away.

"You finished already?" Kento asked.

"Not quite, but I'm saving my strength for something more…productive." Dante laughed then vanished into the forest.

"What did he mean by productive?" questioned Rowen.

Ryo widen his eyes. "Oh no." He shed his armor and ran into the mansion. He ran to the room and saw White Blaze on the ground and the doors to the balcony opened. "No," Ryo whispered, falling to his knees. White Blaze got up and walked over to Ryo, nuzzling his charge. "They have her, boy; they have her." Ryo heard footsteps running towards him but ignored them. He then heard his friends gasp as they took in the scene. They all then realized that Dante was only distracting the Ronins while Dexter and Jax got to Tiffany. Now, Tiffany was back in the hands of her kidnappers and none of them knew where she could be.

* * *

><p><strong>Tiffany has been kidnapped! Will the Ronin Warriors be able to find her? You'll have to wait to find out.<strong>

**Also, couple of things to note. First off, the next chapter may or may not change the rating of the story to an 'M.' So if you don't see the story when I next update, it's probably because I changed it to an 'M.' Second thing, I know I probably didn't describe Dante's weapon very well so I'll just say this. If you have watched or have seen images of the show Inuyasha, then you know the sword Inuyasha uses to fight with; that's basically what the weapon looks like. For those of you who haven't heard of Inuyasha, go to the search bar and type in tetsusaiga; that is what the weapon looks like.**

**Review :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**I have decided to leave this story as a 'T' rating. **

**I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 10<p>

Tiffany slowly woke up and looked around. She saw that she was in a dark room and there was no way to tell where she was. The door to the room opened and Dante walked in. "Hello, Tiffany, glad to see that you are awake." Tiffany raised her hand to defend herself when she felt an electric shock run through her body. She screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. Tiffany looked down and saw a metal bracelet on her ankle. She hung her head, knowing that she was back under Dante's control.

Dante walked over to Tiffany and grabbed her hair. He pulled hard, making Tiffany shriek in pain. "We're not going to have any trouble, right?" Tiffany was scared but she remembered that she knows how to fight without the power of her elements. She pulled her leg back and then kicked him in-between the legs. Dante gasped in pain then Tiffany grabbed his arm and flipped him over; kicking his stomach for good measure. Tiffany ran out of the room and tried to find her way out of this place. She didn't get very far for she came across Dexter and Jax, who were talking to each other. They saw Tiffany and chased after her. Tiffany turned around and started to run away but Dexter and Jax caught her, pushing her to the ground. "How did you escape?" Jax asked.

"Jax, Dexter, hold her still," ordered Dante.

Jax and Dexter pulled Tiffany to her knees, holding her arms. Dante brought his fist back and punched her gut. Tiffany gasped in pain as Dante repeatedly punched her stomach. Dante grabbed Tiffany's head and then kneed her in the face. Blood poured out of her nose and Tiffany coughed up blood. "Now, like I asked before, are you going to give us trouble?" Dante asked. Tiffany shook her head. "Good, bring her with us." Dexter and Jax dragged Tiffany to a room with an examination table and various knives, needles, and other torture devices. Tiffany struggled to get away but Dexter and Jax held on, then lifted her onto the table, strapping her down. The three men walked over to a table, looking at the weapons. "What should we start with?" Dante asked.

Dexter picked up a curved knife. "What about this one?"

Dante smiled then nodded. Dexter walked over to Tiffany, holding the knife. "Hold still." He plunged the knife into Tiffany's arm.

* * *

><p>Mia and Yulie were sitting in the mansion when the Ronins came back in. "Did you find her?" Mia asked.<p>

Ryo glanced at her then walked upstairs. Mia watched him go then turned to the others. "We looked everywhere, but we couldn't find Tiffany," said Sage.

"Is Ryo going to be ok?" asked Yulie.

"I think he needs some time alone, Yulie," stated Rowen.

Ryo walked into his and Tiffany's room and walked over to the bed. He grabbed Tiffany's pillow and sniffed it, the scent of strawberries filling his nose. Ryo sat on the bed, placing his head in his hands. A knock sounded at the door and Ryo looked up to see Cye standing in the doorway. "Hi, Cye."

"How are you doing?" Cye asked.

"Honestly, not so good. Tiffany is back in the hands of her kidnappers and I know she is getting tortured. I just want to know where she is so I can bring her back home."

"Well, there might be a way."

Ryo looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"We contacted Kayura and she might be able to locate Tiffany."

"Cye, she's here!" yelled Kento.

"Come on." Cye and Ryo walked downstairs to see Kayura in the living room, talking to Mia. When she saw Ryo and Cye, Kayura turned to them. "Was Tiffany really kidnapped by your father?" she asked.

Ryo nodded. "Will you be able to find her?"

"Do you have the Jewel of Life?"

"It's in here," Mia said, opening the table draw. She took out the jewel and then gave it to Kayura. She nodded in thanks and closed her fist around it, concentrating. No one said a word as Kayura tried to locate Tiffany. After a few moments, Kayura opened her eyes and stared at the group.

"Were you able to find her?" Rowen asked.

Kayura looked at the floor. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't locate her."

"Why not?" asked Yulie.

"I tried to locate Tiffany's presence with the Jewel of Life, but when I tried to find her, it was like something was blocking the connection between Tiffany and the jewel."

"Great, now we are nowhere close to finding Tiffany," exclaimed Ryo.

"Ryo, calm down," said Sage.

"You want me to calm down?! Tiffany is being held captive by my father, probably getting tortured, and we're sitting here with no way to locate her!" Ryo started walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Rowen asked.

"I'm going to see if I can find something that'll help me find Tiffany."

"We already tired-"

"I'm not going to sit here and twiddle my thumbs!" The door then opened and Ryo slammed it shut.

"I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologize; I understand. I'll talk to Dais and tell him to be on the lookout. I'm also going to talk to Leonce and Iris and tell them that Tiffany has been kidnapped again. I won't be surprised if you get an angry call from Leonce in the next few days or so," explained Kayura.

"Thank you for coming over, Kayura," said Mia.

"It was my pleasure, and if you find anything about Tiffany, please let me know."

Mia nodded and Kayura left to go back to the village.

* * *

><p>Tiffany screamed in agony as another wave of pain hit her body. Her body was covered in slashes, cuts, and bruises and Dante had injected her with a substance that stimulates pain. Even though none of the men were doing anything, Tiffany felt like she was being stabbed by a hundred knives, getting kicked and punched, and electrocuted all at the same time. Tears were already streaming down Tiffany's face and she was thankful when the pain had stopped.<p>

Dante walked over to Tiffany and stared at her. He started to stroke her hair and Tiffany flinched from the contact. "Are you afraid of me, Tiffany?" Dante smiled when he heard Tiffany whimper. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Dante, shall we tell her the good news?" Jax asked.

"What…what news?" Tiffany weakly asked.

"We got a new assistant," said Dexter.

"Yes, after we found out that Zack helped you escape, we got rid of him then found someone to replace him," explained Dante.

"You…you killed Zack?"

"We don't like traitors so we have to get rid of them," said Jax.

"Now, come in and introduce yourself," Dante said, looking over to the door.

Tiffany weakly turned her head to the side as she watched the man come into the light. She couldn't believe her eyes at the man standing before her and Tiffany had to blink a couple of times to make sure she was seeing right. "Jepther?"

* * *

><p><strong>Cliffhanger! Sorry the chapter was short but I promise that the next chapter will be longer. Please review; bye =)<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**This chapter took me two days to write so be happy because it's very long. Also, there are going to a lot of flashbacks in this chapter so all of the flashbacks are going to be in italics. **

**I don't own the Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 11<p>

Tiffany continued to stare at Jepther in disbelief as he walked over to Dante. Jepther looked at Tiffany before looking back at Dante. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Take her back to her cell," ordered Dante.

Jepther nodded then walked over to Tiffany. He undid the straps and hoisted Tiffany off the table. Tiffany tried to steady herself but her legs gave out and she started to collapse. Jepther acted fast and caught her arm; he started to drag her back to the cell. On the way, the two didn't acknowledge each other nor did they talk. Once they arrived at the cell, Jepther opened the door and pushed Tiffany inside it. Tiffany fell to the ground then glanced back at Jepther, glaring at him. Jepther stared at her for a bit before he closed the door. Just before the door closed, Tiffany heard Jepther say, "I'm sorry." Tiffany was shocked by Jepther but then remembered that Zack did the same for her when she first got here.

* * *

><p><em>A ten year old Tiffany stared up at Dante in fear while Dante just smiled. Dexter and Jax just stared at her, observing her, which made Tiffany even more afraid. Dante looked at Zack, who was holding the girl. "Take her to her 'room,'" Dante ordered.<em>

_ Zack nodded then started to lead Tiffany down a series of hallways. They stopped in front of a door and Zack opened it. Tiffany peered inside the room to see that it was pitch black. She glanced up at Zack. "Do I have to stay here?"_

_ "I'm afraid so," answered Zack._

_ Tiffany looked back at the room and, with shaky legs, stepped into the room. Zack stared at the young girl with a sorrowful look. "I'm sorry." Zack then closed the door, leaving Tiffany in darkness._

* * *

><p>After that day, Tiffany felt like she had a friend and Zack was very nice to her. He would come talk to her during the day and he even convinced Dante to not do anything to Tiffany on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The more Tiffany thought about Zack, the more upset Tiffany got. She couldn't believe that Dante had killed Zack all because Zack had helped her to escape. Tiffany curled up in a ball and started to cry, mourning the loss of her friend.<p>

* * *

><p>The Ronins weren't having that much luck finding Tiffany. They looked in every abandoned building in Toyama but each result was the same: nothing. Kayura told them that the Warlords couldn't find anything and there were no leads in the village.<p>

A week had passed already and there was still no sign of Tiffany. Most of the people from Tiffany's village had given up while others still searched. The Warlords only checked the city probably twice a week instead of everyday. Even the Ronin Warriors had thought about giving up and just waiting for answers, but they would never hear the end of it from Ryo. The four Ronins knew that if any of them mentioned about waiting for results on Tiffany's whereabouts, Ryo would flip and started yelling at them, telling them that they had to keep searching. Ryo had been acting depressed ever since Tiffany had been taken. He kept on saying that it was his fault and that Tiffany would still be here if he was more aware. The guys tried to convince Ryo that it wasn't his fault but Ryo wouldn't listen. Also, Ryo had been getting frequent nightmares about Tiffany. It would start with Ryo seeing Tiffany getting beat up by Dexter and Jax. Ryo would try to go and help her but something held him back, preventing Ryo from going to Tiffany. He would hear Tiffany screaming for his help as the men mercilessly punched and kicked her. The nightmare would end when Dante came in and killed her.

Ryo shot up from his sleep, gasping for breath. He could still see the blood pouring from the stab wound Dante inflicted upon Tiffany. Ryo looked over on the other side of the bed and stared at the empty space beside him. The spot beside him felt cold without his love sleeping next to him at night. Ryo leaned down and sniffed the pillow, which still had Tiffany's scent in it. This felt like a routine to Ryo; wake up from the nightmare, sniff Tiffany's pillow, think of Tiffany, then go back to sleep. Ryo looked up and stared out the window. "I miss you, sweetheart," Ryo mumbled before laying back down and falling asleep.

* * *

><p>Tiffany had no idea how long she had been held prisoner here. The days all blended together and there was no way to tell in her cell what time of the day it was. Also, Dante and his minions did the same thing to her every day that it was hard to tell that it was a new day. Her 'schedule' went like this: wake up, get taken to the lab, get tested on by Dexter, beaten up by Jax, and then be recorded on the 'progress' by Dante. After each experimentation and beating, Dante would write down the changes in Tiffany's body to see if anything changes or stays the same the next time Tiffany comes down. Tiffany felt like she was treated as a science experiment rather than a human being. Jepther didn't take part in her torture but he was the one who led her to and fro places and brought her food, which was just bread and water.<p>

Jepther was leading Tiffany into the lab and by now, Tiffany had learned to just stop fighting and accept what was happening. When they got in there, Tiffany noticed that Dexter had a huge smile on his face. _That could only mean one thing,_ Tiffany thought to herself. _He's using a tactic that he loves the most._ Tiffany was strapped down to the table and Jepther walked away, standing in the shadows. Dexter came over, two wires in hand. "I'm going to attach these to your head." He placed the wires on Tiffany's head and Tiffany winced in pain as she felt a prick on her head. Dexter walked over to a machine and turned it on. Almost immediately, Tiffany felt intense heat go through her body and she screamed in pain; it felt like her body was on fire. Tiffany struggled against her restraints but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape. She could feel the burns on her skin but it got worse when the fire reached her head. Tears streamed down Tiffany's face as she begged and pleaded for the fire to be put out. After an agonizing five minutes, the burning stopped and the fire died down. Tiffany gasped for air as a new wave of tears ran down her face; never in her life has she experience pain like this before.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Dexter asked. "This machine stimulates part of the brain that responds to thoughts or emotions. I was able to create a scenario where her body was lit on fire and her brain sent a message throughout her body saying that it was on fire. Even though it wasn't on fire, her body responded differently to what was actually going on."

"So this machine basically controls her brain to respond to the images we give her?" asked Dante.

"Precisely."

"To me, this machine sounds like something we use to torture her with but without the actual tools," said Jax. "That sounds boring to me."

"Boring?"

"Yeah, you're taking out all of the fun."

"You can still watch her squirm and whither around in pain."

"That's what we have the tank for."

Tiffany widen her eyes at the mention of the tank. She hated that device and it was the only thing that made her not disobey them.

"What's the tank?" Jepther asked.

"It's a very severe punishment we give to Tiffany when she misbehaves," answered Dante.

"We only use it when she misbehaves because afterwards, she never does it again," Jax explained further.

"Is that all you wanted to show me?" Dante asked Dexter, changing the subject.

"Yes."

"All right." Dante turned to Jepther. "Take her back to her cell."

Jepther undid her restraints then took Tiffany back to her cell. He pushed Tiffany in then closed and locked the door. Tiffany walked over to the corner and sat down, bringing her legs into her chest. A few minutes passed and the door opened again. Jepther walked in and closed the door behind him. "What do you want?" Tiffany asked, eyeing him suspiciously. Jepther took out a bottle of water and a small plastic cup. "Look, I don't know what's going on or why they are doing this to you, so I'm going to make you deal. I'm going to ask you a question and if you answer, I'll give you some water."

"Why should I answer your questions?"

"For one thing, I think you need some water after all that screaming you did today. Also, this is only for me to know and I won't tell Dante I talked to you or gave you water when you weren't supposed to have some."

Tiffany stared at Jepther then at the water. It was true that she did need water because her throat felt dry and she felt more secure knowing that Dante wasn't going to know about this. "You can ask me any question but when the water runs out, I'm not answering any more questions."

Jepther nodded. "Why did Dante want you in the first place?" Jepther asked, filling up the small cup with the water.

"He thought that he could morph my powers into a cure to save his wife from a sickness. No matter how many times I told him it wouldn't work, he wouldn't believe me." Jepther gave her the cup and Tiffany drank it.

"How did he try to morph your powers?"

"All that stuff that Dante, Dexter and Jax has done to me these last few days is what he did to me in the past." Tiffany drank the second cup of water and gave the empty cup back to Jepther.

"How was Dante able to capture you?"

Tiffany grimaced. "It was right after I found a place to stay during Talpa's ambush…"

* * *

><p><em>"You'll be safe here, Tiffany," a man with short white hair told Tiffany. The young girl looked around the cabin, trying to get used to the fact that she'll be living here.<em>

_ "I checked the area, Levi; there are no Dynasty soldiers in sight," said a man with should length black hair._

_ "Good work, Darien."_

_ "How long will I be here?" Tiffany asked._

_ "I don't know, Tiffany," Levi answered. "Your parents said that they'll send someone for us when it's safe to come back."_

_ Tiffany nodded then walked over to the couch and sat down._

_ A noise sounded in the yard and Levi and Darien got on guard. They stared at the yard as the noise continued. "Tiffany, go hide," ordered Levi. Tiffany nodded then ran into a closet. Levi looked at Darien and nodded. Darien slowly walked into the yard, looking around. Suddenly, Darien was pulled to the ground and he disappeared from view. "Darien!" Levi yelled, running into the yard._

_ From the closet, Tiffany could hear commotion coming from the yard. She then heard screaming and covered her ears. After a few minutes, the screaming stopped as did the commotion. Tiffany uncovered her ears but all she heard was silence. She waited a while then opened the closet. Tiffany walked around the cabin, looking around. "Levi? Darien?" She walked into the yard but stopped when she saw a middle aged man standing there. "Hello, little girl," greeted the man. The last thing Tiffany saw was a fist coming towards her face._

* * *

><p>"The next thing I knew, I awoke in this very cell. Zack then came in and brought me to Dante."<p>

Jepther nodded, giving Tiffany the water. "Who's Zack?"

Tiffany smiled. "Zack was the nicest man I knew in this place. He would also come and talk to me, trying to make me feel better. Zack would do stuff that you're doing right now; just sit in my cell and talk with me. Sometimes, he would bring in a pen and a notebook and we would play together. My favorite one was when I had to guess what he was drawing; it was fun because Zack was a terrible drawer."

"Did he help you escape?"

"Yeah. It was right after…after Dante raped me."

* * *

><p><em>"See, I knew you would enjoy it," Dante said, putting his pants back on. Tiffany was curled up in a ball, sobbing uncontrollably. Dante ran his fingers through Tiffany's hair then left the cell. Tiffany heard Zack and Dante talking and was able to hear them arguing. <em>

_ "You did what?!" Zack exclaimed._

_ "You heard me; I raped her," answered Dante._

_ "How could you?! What did she do to you?!"_

_ "She killed my wife!"_

_ "She didn't kill anyone; she's been stuck here for ten years!"_

_ Dante scoffed then walked away. Tiffany heard the door open and footsteps run towards her. Zack knelt next to her, stroking her hair. "I'm so sorry, baby."_

_ "I want to go home," sobbed Tiffany. "I wish I could go home."_

_ Zack stared at her then nodded. "All right, come on." Zack helped Tiffany up and led her outside the cell. "Where are you taking me?" Tiffany asked, drying her eyes._

_ "You're getting out of here."_

_ Zack and Tiffany walked through hallways until they come to a door. Zack opened the door and Tiffany shielded her eyes from the light. He looked around then looked back at Tiffany. "You have to run."_

_ "And just what are you doing?"_

_ Zack and Tiffany turned around to see Jax standing there, staring at them. "I caught her trying to run away," stated Zack._

_ "Really?" Jax held out wrist and ankle chains. "Then put these on her."_

_ Zack grabbed the chains and placed them on Tiffany. Jax nodded then walked over to them. Zack pushed Tiffany outside and then held Jax from getting to her. "Run, Tiffany; run and don't look back!" Tiffany nodded and started running away, the chains clanking as she ran._

* * *

><p>"Then I meet the Ronins and I stayed with them and you know the rest." Tiffany drank the water.<p>

"What's the tank?" Jepther asked.

"Why don't we show you," Dante answered, walking in. He then walked over to Tiffany, grabbing a fistful of her hair. Dante pulled her out of the cell, dragging her by the hair. Jepther followed behind them, wondering where they were going. They stopped at a steel door and Dante opened it. They walked outside into the cold and wind to a small cage in the middle. Dante opened the cage and pushed Tiffany inside, locking it. He then threw a thin blanket at her and walked back inside. Tiffany wrapped the blanket around her as the cold wind nipped at her skin.

"You left her outside!" exclaimed Jepther.

Dante scoffed. "She's not outside." He then led Jepther to another room that had a one way mirror that showed Tiffany shivering in the cage. "This room controls the environment in that room. She's not outside but the way it's displayed looks like it's outside. This, Jepther, is the tank." Dante and Jepther stared out the mirror, watching Tiffany.

* * *

><p><strong>I know, I know, Dante is a terrible person. Don't worry, Dante will get punished for doing this to Tiffany but it won't be for a few chapters. Please review, bye :)<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey, guys. So I have some bad news. Today is my last day of break and tomorrow I start my second semester of college. I'm not going to stop the story or anything but updates are going to take longer that usual. The first week probably won't be so bad but I think the week after that is when it's going to become hectic.**

**I don't own Ronin Warriors and WARNING: there is going to be violence and mentions of rape in this chapter.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 12<p>

The next day, Tiffany woke up and she was very cold and shivering. She pulled the blanket closer to her but it did nothing to warm her up. Suddenly, the snow and wind disappeared and was replaced by sun and heat. Tiffany could slowly feel herself warming up until she was no longer shivering. Once her shivering was gone, the heat and sun disappeared and Tiffany found herself in a glass cage and dark grey walls around her. Tiffany widen her eyes when she recognized where she was. _No, not the tank!_ Tiffany desperately thought. She tried to get out of the glass cage but nothing broke the glass. Tiffany was about to start kicking when she felt out of breath. She started coughing and gasping for breath, trying to breathe. It was hard for Tiffany to breathe and she couldn't catch her breath. Tiffany crouched to the ground, clutching her throat. Black spots covered her vision and just as Tiffany was about to pass out, she started to breath normally again. As Tiffany was catching her breath, water started to fill the cage. Tiffany desperately tried to get out of the cage as more water filled the cage. Tiffany panicked as the water reached her waist and was steadily rising. Tiffany leaned her head back as the water rose higher and she took a deep breath as the water went over her head.

* * *

><p>In the other room, Dante, Jax, and Dexter watched with amused looks as Tiffany thrashed in the water, trying to get out. Tiffany started to thrash less and less until she stopped thrashing altogether. They watched for a few minutes before Dante said, "Drain the tank." Dexter pressed a button and the water was drained from the tank. Tiffany laid on the floor, coughing up water. Her clothes were stuck to her skin and her body quivered.<p>

Jepther couldn't believe that these men were doing this to Tiffany. It disgusted him and he wanted to help Tiffany but he knew that if he tried, Dante would immediately kill him.

"Time for fire," said Jax, pressing a button. The men watched as Tiffany started screaming in pain as the water transformed into fire. Tiffany tried to put the fire out but the fire only grew, scorching her skin. Dexter pressed another button and the tank started to shrink. Tears streamed down Tiffany's face as she tried to stop the shrinking tank and the fire. Tiffany put her legs up and pushed but that only resulted in a sickening snap. Tiffany screamed bloody murder while the three men laughed at her but Jepther flinched at her screams.

* * *

><p>"Tiffany!" Ryo yelled, sitting up. He gasped for breath then placed a hand on his head. A knock sounded at the door. "Yeah?" The door opened and Cye popped his head in. "You all right, Ryo?"<p>

"I just had a bad dream."

"Was it about Tiffany again?"

Ryo nodded. "But this one felt like it was actually happening to her."

Cye walked over to Ryo and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We will find her Ryo."

"How? We tried everything and we still have no clue where she is."

"Actually, we might have a clue."

Ryo and Cye turned towards the doorway to see Rowen standing there. "What's up, Rowen?" Cye asked.

"A letter came and it's addressed to you, Ryo," Rowen explained. "We think it's from Dante."

Ryo nodded then got up. "I'll be down in a minute."

Rowen and Cye left the room to let Ryo get dressed. Ryo put on a pair of jeans and a red shirt. He walked downstairs to find everyone in the living room. Sage noticed Ryo then held the letter out to him. Ryo walked over to Sage and grabbed the letter, his hands shaking. Ryo slowly opened the letter and read the letter out loud.

"Hello Ryo. If you think this letter is from Dante, then you are wrong. I'm actually Jepther and I know you must be pissed at me for helping Dante with this. Let me just say that I didn't really know what Dante was planning for Tiffany so when he started doing experiments on her, I couldn't believe that he would do this to her.

"So, I'm going to help you get Tiffany. I've seen what they have done to her and its not pretty. Tiffany's not doing so well and she needs help. Now, the reason why you can't locate Tiffany is because Dexter put a force field around the place that makes it impossible for you to detect us. What you have to do is find a way to teleport from your place to ours. What I'm going to do is turn off the force field for you to be able to get in, get Tiffany, and get out. I know where they keep her so I can help you find her. I'll turn the force field off at night for Dante and the others will be done by then. Be ready and I'll make sure Tiffany knows that you are coming for her. If you or any of the Ronins think that this is trick, I swear to you that it's not. If you do not come tonight, Dante will find out that I betrayed her then he will kill me and Tiffany will never be able to leave. Please, Tiffany is dying; she needs your help. Jepther."

Everyone was silent after Ryo read the letter. They were shocked that Jepther was working with Dante but they were even more shocked that he wanted to help them save Tiffany.

"Should we trust him?" Sage asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Well, he did try to kill Ryo last year and he also wanted Tiffany for himself," said Kento.

"But if Jepther wants to help us, then why would he send us this letter?" Mia asked.

"True," said Rowen. "If we don't listen to Jepther, then we'll miss the opportunity to save Tiffany."

"Ryo, what should we do?" Cye asked.

Ryo thought about it for a minute before replying, "We'll take the chance and listen to Jepther, but we must be on our guard. For now, we will train to make sure that we'll be ready to fight."

The other four Ronin Warriors nodded.

* * *

><p>Tiffany screamed as Jax kicked her in the gut. After Tiffany was released from the tank, Dante, Dexter, and Jax took her back to the room with the examination table and threw her to the ground. They surrounded her then started to beat her up while Dexter cut her up with various knives. Jepther just stood in the background, watching.<p>

"Jepther, you've been quiet for a while," stated Dexter, then held out a knife. "Come; make your mark on her." Jax and Dante stepped away and Jepther stood in shock, staring at the damage down to Tiffany. Blood was everywhere and a puddle of blood formed around Tiffany. Her right leg was broken while her left ankle was badly sprained. Many cuts and bruises caked her skin and Tiffany's left eye was swollen shut.

"If you're not going to make your mark, then I will," Jax stated, standing in front of Tiffany. He ripped the clothes away from her body then Jax took off his clothes and got on top of her.

"Please…don't," Tiffany begged, tears pricking at her eyes. "I beg you."

Jax smiled. "It's time I made my mark on you."

Jepther looked away from the two; he couldn't watch what Jax was going to do. Tiffany started screaming and crying, desperately trying to get Jax off her. When Jax was finished, he got up and put his clothes back on. Dante was about to take his turn when Tiffany raised her hand and slapped him across the face. After she realized what she had done, Tiffany stared at Dante with fear. Dante glared at Tiffany before raising his fist and punched her face. Tiffany felt her nose crack and blood poured from her nose. Dante grabbed Tiffany's hair and lifted her up from the ground. He then pulled his leg back and kneed her in the stomach. Tiffany coughed up blood then Dante started to repeatedly punch and kick her. Tiffany could feel her ribs getting broken so she had to curl up into a ball to avoid any more damage to her ribs. Dante switched from attacking her stomach to attacking her back. Tiffany bit her lip to keep herself from screaming as tears ran down her face. Dante stopped hitting her and stared at her quivering body. "This is what you get for disobeying me," stated Dante. He turned to Jepther. "Take her to her cell."

Jepther walked over to Tiffany and helped her up. He then proceeded to help her walk to her cell and he noticed that Tiffany was limping. Once the two arrived at the cell, Jepther helped her in and Tiffany sat in the corner of the room, sobbing into her hands. Jepther stared at her for a moment before calmly walking over to her and kneeling in front of her. "Hey, it's going to be ok."

"No it's not," sobbed Tiffany. "I'm going to be trapped here forever and I'm never going to see Ryo again."

Jepther looked at the door before looking at Tiffany. "Yes you are."

Tiffany raised her head and stared at Jepther. "What do you mean?"

"The Ronin Warriors are coming to save you tonight."

"Really?!"

Jepther nodded. "You just have to be strong and wait until then, ok?"

"Ok."

"Good." Jepther got up and left the cell, locking the door behind him. A few minutes passed before the door opened again and Dante came in, a smirk on his face. "I didn't finish what I started." Tiffany stared at him in fear as he came closer to her.

* * *

><p>It was now nighttime at the mansion and the Ronin Warriors were ready for battle. Kayura had just arrived and she was using the Jewel of Life to locate Tiffany. While Kayura was searching for Tiffany, Ryo was anxious and he couldn't wait to hold Tiffany in his arms again. Once Tiffany is safe in his arms again, Ryo will never let her go.<p>

Kayura's eyes snapped open. "I found her!" The Ronins gathered around Kayura and then she teleported them to Tiffany's location.

* * *

><p><strong>The guys are going to save Tiffany! How many of you were shocked that Jepther is helping the guys rescue Tiffany. Total change of character isn't it? Anyway, the next chapter will be about the guys rescuing Tiffany and if the plan will go smoothly. Please review and tell me what you think. Bye :)<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello. It's been a few days but I finally managed to finish this chapter. **

**I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 13<p>

Jepther was in the control room and he had just turned off the force field. He was know waiting for the Ronin Warriors to arrive. A few minutes passed before a flash of light appeared and Jepther turned around to see the Ronins. Jepther was relieved that they came but that was replaced with worry. "We have to go now; it's only a matter of time before someone finds out."

"Where is she?" Ryo asked.

Jepther turned to the computer and pulled up the map of the place. "We are here in this little room." He pointed to a little square box then gestured to a hallway that led to one square box. "Tiffany is in there, on the other side of the compound."

"How long would it take us to get there?" Sage asked.

"About ten minutes which should give you plenty of time to get Tiffany and leave."

"And how long until Dexter notices that the force field is down?" asked Rowen.

"About the same but if you are out of here in ten minutes, I'll be able to put the force field back up and Dexter would probably think that he was imagining things."

"Thank you for helping us," said Kayura.

Jepther nodded. "Now go; hurry!"

The Ronins and Kayura left the control room and started making their way to Tiffany's cell. They made sure that they weren't being followed or that they wouldn't run into Dante, Dexter, or Jax. When they heard footsteps coming towards them, they would make themselves scarce and waited for that person to pass by. After that person had passed, the guys continued their way down the hall to find Tiffany.

* * *

><p>Tiffany was lying in her cell, facing the wall. After Dante had raped her, he said that Ryo would never love her again because she was dirty and used. The words kept replaying in Tiffany's head even after Dante had left. Tears appeared in Tiffany's eyes and she wept silently. Tiffany feared that Ryo wouldn't love her because of what happened and he wouldn't take her back. Then she remembered when Ryo found out that Tiffany had been raped, he was there for her and didn't leave her then and there. That was all Tiffany needed as proof that Ryo wouldn't leave her and that he will love her, forever.<p>

A chill went through Tiffany's body and she shivered. Tiffany had just found out that she has a fever from being left out in the cold all night long and her body didn't recognize it until an hour or two ago. Although, the fever wasn't the worst of Tiffany's problems. So far, Tiffany has a broken leg, a badly sprained ankle, some of her ribs are broken, cuts and bruises all over her body, and Tiffany could only see out of her right eye because the left one was swollen shut. Also, the lack of food took its toll and it was visible on her skin. It wasn't like her bones were showing but she was close to it and she was very pale.

She suddenly heard footsteps walking down the hall and Tiffany was afraid. Tiffany's body started shaking, tears running down her face. She didn't want to go back there nor did she want to be tortured again. "Ryo, where are you?" Tiffany asked. "I need you." She started mumbling, saying how much she missed Ryo, when the door opened.

* * *

><p>The guys had arrived in the hallway that Jepther told them about. They walked over to the door and, after making sure no one was coming, opened it. The guys looked around but there was no sign of Tiffany. Ryo looked at the ground and widen his eyes; blood stains were on the ground. "Guys," Ryo whispered, still looking at the floor. The guys followed Ryo's gaze until they, too, saw the blood on the ground. "What have they done to her?"<p>

"We'll find her," promised Kayura.

Suddenly, the floor opened up and the group fell through the whole in the ground.

* * *

><p>Tiffany winced as Dante tightened the chains around her. The chains were wrapped around her stomach, legs, arms, and throat. Her legs were chained together while her arms were held out then chained to the wall. Some of the chains had cut into her skin which resulted in blood running down her body.<p>

Dante finished tightening the chains around Tiffany's throat before taking a step back and admiring his work. Tiffany's whole body was wrapped up in chains and it made it impossible for her to move. The only part that Tiffany could move was head but she couldn't move it that far. Dante stood in front of Tiffany then grabbed her chin, forcing Tiffany to look at him. He smirked as Tiffany stared at him with fear in her eyes. "I control you now, girl; you'll never escape me." A tear ran down Tiffany's face as Dante released her chin.

The doors then opened and Dexter walked. "We have them."

"Excellent; bring them in."

Dexter nodded then pulled a lever by the door. The floor opened up and a cage started coming out from the ground. Tiffany widen her eyes when she saw her friends trapped in the cage. "Tiffany!" Ryo exclaimed, trying to get out of the cage so he can get to Tiffany. She smiled at him and then mouthed 'I love you.'

"Hello, son; it's nice to see you again," said Dante.

"What the hell did you do to her?!"

"Do I really need to explain that? This girl has tremendous power and I want it for myself. Although, while we had her, my associate, Dexter, used a new technique on her. We were able to search through her memories and found some interesting information; especially the information about the white armor of Inferno." Dante smirked.

"We're not telling you anything about the Inferno armor," said Sage.

"I beg to differ." Dante walked towards Tiffany and stood behind her. "What if I said that I would release Tiffany if you told me?"

"Yeah right," snorted Kento.

"You think I'm lying?" Dante tsked then trailed his hand down Tiffany's tattered shirt. Tiffany bit her lip when she felt Dante grope her breast.

"Stop!" yelled Ryo.

"Are you going to show me the Inferno armor?"

"How about we make a deal?"

Dante raised an eyebrow, indicating that he was listening.

"If you let Tiffany go, then I will let you experiment on me with the Inferno armor."

"What?!" The Ronins and Kayura exclaimed.

"Ryo, please don't do this," cried Tiffany. "You don't need to go through this torture."

"It's the only way to keep you safe, Tiffany," stated Ryo.

Tiffany shook her head, tears running down her face.

"Show me the white armor, then we'll talk," said Dante.

Ryo nodded. "Armor of Wildfire! Dao Jin!"

"Armor of Halo! Dao Chi!"

"Armor of Strata! Dao Inochi!"

"Armor of Torrent! Dao Shin!"

"Armor of Hardrock! Dao Gi!"

Cherry blossoms surrounded the Ronins as their armors appeared on them. The four Ronins were about to transfer their armor powers over to Ryo when Ryo took out his katanas and placed them together. "Flare Up Now!" Ryo sent the attack towards the cage and it broke, leaving a gaping hole. The Ronins smiled, figuring out that Ryo didn't want to put on the Inferno armor, but rather put on their own armors to escape. The group got out of the cage, weapons pointing at Dante. "Release Tiffany," ordered Ryo.

Dante took out a dagger but the weapon was knocked out of his hands. Jepther pushed Dante to the ground, holding his arms behind his back and pushing his knee into Dante's back. Dante looked at Dexter and Jax and saw them knocked out. "I thought you were on my side, Jepther," said Dante.

"Once you started torturing Tiffany, I changed sides," answered Jepther. He then knocked Dante out and turned to the guys. "Hurry, before they wake up."

The Ronins nodded then ran over to Tiffany. They gently started to take the chains off Tiffany's body, being careful not to hurt her any more than she already is. Ryo wrapped his arm around Tiffany's waist then cut the last set of chains binding Tiffany's body. Tiffany slumped into Ryo, exhaustion and blood loss taking its effect. Ryo wrapped his other arm around Tiffany then cradled her to his chest. "You're here," Tiffany softly said.

"Yes, I'm here," Ryo said then placed a hand on Tiffany's cheek, stroking her face with his thumb. "We're going to take you home and fix you up."

Tiffany smiled then leaned her head against Ryo's chest, breathing in his scent. The Ronins gathered around Kayura, who had the Jewel of Life in her hands.

"Thank you," Ryo said.

Jepther nodded.

"What are you going to do?" asked Cye.

"After you leave, I'll probably leave as well. Maybe I'll start traveling the world."

"Good luck with that," said Rowen.

Jepther smiled.

Kayura closed her eyes then focused on the mansion. The jewel lit up and the group was transported back home.

* * *

><p><strong>Tiffany has been saved! I hope you are all happy about this chapter; you know, the saving Tiffany part, not the other parts. I hope to have another chapter up soon. Please review :)<strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**I feel like it's been a while since I last updated but here is a new chapter.**

**I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 14<p>

The guys arrived back at the mansion and they ran into the house. Mia and Yulie were sitting on the couch when they saw the guys running into the mansion, carrying a bloody and unconscious Tiffany. "Oh my gosh!" Mia exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand. She grabbed a blanket then covered the coffee table with it. "Place her here." Ryo gently placed Tiffany on the table then Mia started to yell out orders. "Someone get me a bowl of water and a cloth!" Cye ran into the kitchen to retrieve the items while Sage got the first aid kit. The two came back with the items, handing them to Mia. She dipped the cloth in the water and started to clean Tiffany's wounds, bandaging them afterwards. Mia placed the wet cloth on Tiffany's ankle, making Tiffany scream in pain. Ryo ran over to Tiffany, grabbing her hand. Tiffany opened her eyes and stared at him. "R…Ryo?"

"I'm right here, Tiffany," Ryo stated.

"It…It hurts."

Ryo caressed Tiffany's hand with his thumb. He then watched as Mia started to clean and dress Tiffany's ankle. "I'm going to need help with her leg," stated Mia.

Rowen came over and Mia gave him two splints. "Hold these by her legs while I wrap it up." Rowen nodded and proceeded to do what Mia had instructed. While Mia was wrapped up Tiffany's leg, Tiffany squirmed, trying to get away. Ryo grabbed Tiffany's shoulders, holding her in place. Tiffany's eyes snapped open then she started screaming and thrashing about. "Don't hurt me! Please, I'll do anything!" Tiffany cried.

"Tiffany, it's me!" Ryo yelled.

Tiffany stopped thrashing then stared at Ryo, tears in her eyes. She reached her hand out to Ryo, who grabbed it and placed it on his cheek. "Ryo, stay with me."

"Of course." Ryo sat down by Tiffany, placing her head in his lap. He started stroking her hair, whispered words of encouragement in her ear. Mia finished wrapped up Tiffany's leg then nodded her head in thanks to Rowen. Mia turned to Ryo. "We have to take her to a hospital."

The guys nodded.

"No…no hospitals," muttered Tiffany. "They'll take me back there."

"They're not going to take you back," Ryo said. "They want to help you."

"No, they'll take me back there." Tiffany grabbed Ryo's arm, a pleading look in her eyes. "Please Ryo, I beg of you; don't take me there."

Ryo stared at her before slowly nodding. He gently picked her up then placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'm sorry." Before Tiffany could respond, she felt a pinch on her neck then everything went black. Ryo held Tiffany's limp body then looked at the others. "Let's get her to the hospital." Everyone nodded then filed into the car. Mia got in the driver's seat and drove them to the hospital.

* * *

><p>At the hospital, Tiffany had been taken by the doctors to ER to be treated. The others were in the waiting room and Kayura was on the phone, talking to Leonce. "Yes, she's here. The doctors are treating her right now but I don't know how serious it is. The doctors said they will tell us how Tiffany is when they are done. Yes, of course; see you soon." Kayura hung up then walked over to the others.<p>

"What did Leonce say?" Kento asked.

"He said that he's coming with Iris to see Tiffany; they should be hear in about three hours."

One of the doctors that took Tiffany away came into the waiting room. Ryo noticed him and sat up, walking over to him. "How is Tiffany?"

"She has a broken leg, a sprained ankle, three broken ribs, lots of cuts and bruises, a high fever, and a concussion. We don't know how severe it is so we will have to watch her closely."

"Will she be ok?" Yulie asked.

The doctor gave him a small smile. "If your friend get lots of rest, then she should be fine."

"Can we see her?" asked Mia.

"I'm sorry, but only immediate family is allowed to see her."

"What about her fiancé?" Cye asked, making Ryo perk up.

"Is anyone of you engaged to her?"

"I am," stated Ryo.

The doctor thought about it before nodding. "I'll allow it, but only for a few minutes. Come with me." Ryo followed the doctor down a hall to the last door on the right. "She's asleep right now but will probably wake up soon."

"Ok." Ryo opened the door then walked in. Tiffany was lying on the bed with needles inserted into her arms and her leg was wrapped up in a cast, as was her ankle. Bandages covered her body and face. Her left eye was still swollen but it wasn't as bad when Ryo got her back from Dante. He walked over to Tiffany and sat down in the chair by the bed. Ryo stared at Tiffany's face before gently grabbing Tiffany's hand. He rubbed soothing circles on Tiffany's hand then placed a kiss on her forehead; he noticed that Tiffany was starting to wake up. Tiffany opened her eyes and stared at Ryo. "Hey, sweetheart."

"Ryo?" Tiffany slowly looked around the room, trying to figure out where she was. "Where am I?"

Ryo was about to answer when the door opened and a doctor walked in. He was probably around forty years old and had dark brown hair and brown eyes. Tiffany froze as she stared at the man in fear. "Hello, Tiffany; I see that you are awake. My name is George." Tiffany's body started to shake as George came closer to her. "I'm just going to ask you a couple of questions-" George wasn't able to finish his sentence for when he was about a foot away from Tiffany, she started screaming. Tiffany thrashed around and Ryo tried to hold her down. When George came over to help, Tiffany screamed even louder and tried to get away from him.

"Tiffany, calm down!" Ryo yelled.

"He's going to take me back!" cried Tiffany. "He'll take me back to that place!"

"He's not going to take you back, I promise you."

Tiffany looked at Ryo, tears streaming down her face. "You promised me that I wouldn't go to the hospital and you broke that promise. Now you promise me that this man isn't going to take me back. I don't trust your word on that." Tiffany struggled again, trying to free herself from Ryo's grasp. "Now let me go!"

"Tiffany, please stop; you're injured."

"No! I don't want to be in that place again!"

Ryo made Tiffany look at him. "Look, I know I broke your promise about taking you to the hospital, but I'm _not_ going to break your promise about letting those men take you back."

Tiffany stared at Ryo for a few more minutes before slowly nodding. George came closer but this only made Tiffany shrink away and started shaking in hear. Ryo looked at George. "Is it possible if we can have a female doctor check on her? I'll think she'll cooperate more with a woman than with a man she doesn't know."

George nodded then left the room, making Tiffany relax. A few minutes passed before the door opened again and a middle aged woman with short red hair and hazel eyes walked into the room. The woman smiled at the two. "Hello, I'm Stephanie and I'm guessing you're Tiffany?" Tiffany nodded slowly, eying Stephanie carefully. There weren't any women at the place Tiffany was at so she couldn't figure out if Stephanie was good or bad. "All I'm going to do is check the instruments to make sure that there isn't anything wrong with you and then I'm going to ask you some questions." Tiffany watched as Stephanie checked the instruments and then wrote something down on her clipboard. While Stephanie was doing this, Tiffany eyed her closely to see if she was going to do anything suspicious. Stephanie finished checking then sat down on a chair. "Ok, now I'm going to ask you some questions to see how your concussion is. First off, what is your name?"

"It's Tiffany."

"Now, what is today's date?"

Tiffany thought about for a moment, trying to remember how long she was held prisoner. "Is it January 29th?"

"Close, it's actually the 30th. How old are you?"

"I'm 19 but I'll be 20 in two months."

"When's your birthday?"

"March 19th."

"Now on a scale of 1 to 10, how bad does your head hurt?'

"About a 6."

Stephanie wrote all of this down then took out a mini flashlight. She held up a finger and turned on the flashlight. "Tiffany, I want you to follow the direction of my finger without moving your head." Stephanie moved her finger to the left and Tiffany followed it. Stephanie used the flashlight to shine on Tiffany's eyes to see if the pupils were dilating or not. After a few minutes, Stephanie turned off the flashlight then wrote something down on the clipboard. "Ok, your concussion isn't serious but you do have a small one; I'll give you some medication for that. Also, I'm going to get you an ice pack for your eye, to help with the swelling. Do you have any questions?"

"How long am I going to be here?" Tiffany asked.

"Maybe two to three weeks?"

"Weeks?!"

Ryo knew that Tiffany was going to panic so he asked, "Do you think that she can get let out earlier so we can take care of her at home?"

"Maybe; I would have to talk to George about that." Stephanie walked over to one of the IVs inserted into Tiffany's arms and took out a needle. Tiffany's eyes widen at the sight of the needle but Ryo was able to calm her down before she started panicking again.

"It's all right, Tiffany," Ryo whispered in Tiffany's ear. "Stephanie is just inserting medicine that will help you feel better."

Stephanie inserted the medicine into the IV and Tiffany started to feel drowsy. Her eyes started to close as she fought to stay awake. "Don't fight it, sweetie," said Stephanie. "Sleeping will help you feel better." Stephanie then left the room.

Tiffany turned to Ryo, her eyes almost shut. "Stay with me?"

Ryo smirked. "Always." He placed a kiss on her forehead. "Get some rest now."

Tiffany closed her eyes, falling into a deep and peaceful slumber.

* * *

><p><strong>The next chapter will have Tiffany's parents visiting her and also some tension between Ryo and Leonce; there might be some surprise guests, too ;) <strong>

**Please review; I love to hear what you guys think. Until next time :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**I know, it's been a while but I finally finished this chapter. Hope you guys like it!**

**I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 15<p>

Right after Tiffany fell asleep, Ryo leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Sleep well, my love," Ryo whispered. He got up from his chair, staring at Tiffany's sleeping face for a few more minutes, before walking out the door. He walked over to the guys, who were anxiously waiting for him. Once the guys had noticed that Ryo had returned, they surrounded him. "How's Tiffany?" Kayura asked, worry etched on her face for her friend.

"She's fine but she's going to be pretty sore for a while," answered Ryo. "The doctors think that she'll have to stay here for two to three weeks."

"I don't think Tiffany will be ok with that," muttered Kento.

"She's not but I'm going to see if the doctors can let her out early so we can take her home and care for her there."

Just as Ryo was about to leave, the doors to the waiting room banged open as Leonce barged into the room, with Iris trailing behind him. When Leonce saw Ryo, his eyes narrowed and he marched over to Ryo. Before Ryo could explain anything, Leonce punched him in the face. "How could you?!" screamed Leonce. "You let my daughter get taken by these…these…these monsters!"

Ryo stared at the floor, not looking at Leonce in the eyes. Quietly, Ryo said, "I'm sorry."

"Leonce, it wasn't Ryo's fault," Kayura stated, trying to get Leonce to see reason. "He didn't hand Tiffany over to Dante; he wanted to protect her."

"So how was Dante able to kidnap her again?!" Leonce exclaimed.

"Dante tricked us," Cye said, stepping up for his friend. "He had us fight him while Dexter and Jax attacked Tiffany."

"That's no excuse! Ryo should have stayed with Tiffany while Dante attacked!"

"Did you think I wanted this to happen?!" Ryo yelled back at Leonce. "I promised her that I wouldn't let Dante take her but it still happened! I'm not making the same mistake twice!"

"Yeah, you're not, because you're never seeing my daughter again."

Ryo widen his eyes while everyone else was shocked by Leonce's statement.

"Leonce!" scolded Iris.

"No, this boy promised me that he would protect our daughter but he failed!"

"You can't take Tiffany away from her fiancé!"

Leonce's eyes widen. "You proposed to me daughter without my permission?" The room got deathly quiet, while Leonce waited for Ryo to respond. Ryo stood tall, staring Leonce in the eye. "Yes." Leonce opened his mouth to reply when Stephanie came in. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?"

"No, you didn't," Iris stated, not wanting Leonce to start another argument. "I'm Iris, Tiffany's mother. This is Leonce, my husband."

Stephanie smiled at her. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Right now, your daughter is sleeping but if you want to see her you can."

Leonce and Iris nodded. Stephanie led the two to a room, opening the door. When they saw their daughter lying on the bed, looking so weak and fragile, tears appeared in Leonce and Iris's eyes. Iris ran over to her daughter while Leonce stood at the doorway, frozen in shock. "My baby!" Iris cried, clutching Tiffany's hand. Leonce slowly but calmly walked over to his daughter's side. He stared at her bruised and battered face before gently stroking Tiffany's hair. Leonce heard a knock then turned to the source of it. His face grew stern when he saw Ryo standing in the doorway. "Can I just see Tiffany, please?"

"Leonce, please," Iris begged, tears running down her face.

Leonce sighed before nodding. "Fine, but only for a few minutes."

Ryo nodded, walking over to Tiffany's side. He grabbed Tiffany's other hand, squeezing it gently. "I love you, Tiffany. I'm so sorry that this happened to you and that I wasn't able to protect you." Ryo leaned down, gently placing his forehead against Tiffany's. "I love you, so much." Ryo placed a gentle kiss on Tiffany's lips. He stood up and started walking away.

Suddenly, Tiffany's eyes opened and Iris smiled at her. "Tiffany."

Tiffany turned to her. "M...Mom?"

"Yes, sweetie; I'm here," Iris stated, stroking Tiffany's hair. "Your father is here too."

Tiffany turned to Leonce, smiling at him. Confusion then appeared in her eyes and she started searching the room. Her eyes landed on Ryo, who was about to leave. Slowly and carefully, Tiffany lifted her hand and she tried to grab him from a distance, but it looked like she was shooing him away. Leonce gave Ryo a smirk and Ryo's expression sadden; he continued to walk out the door. Tiffany's eyes widen and she exclaimed, "No!" Ryo stopped in his tracks, looking at Tiffany, while Iris and Leonce fussed over her. "What's wrong, Tiffany?" Leonce asked.

Tiffany looked over Leonce's shoulder and she stretched her hand out to Ryo again. Iris turned to Leonce. "She wants Ryo." Iris beckoned Ryo over so he came over and took Iris's place. Tiffany grabbed Ryo's hand and pulled him to sit on the bed beside her, placing her head on his chest. Ryo gently wrapped his arms around her and started stroking her hair. Tiffany closed her eyes and started falling asleep in his arms. "I love you, Ryo."

Ryo smiled. "I love you too, Tiffany." He kissed her head, making Tiffany smile. Leonce stared at the two, confusion on his face. Iris saw this and knew that she had to talk to them. "We'll give you two time alone," Iris whispered, after noticing that her daughter had fallen back asleep." Ryo nodded then got comfortable on the bed. Iris grabbed Leonce's hand and dragged him out of the room. Right after the door was closed, Leonce turned to Iris. "How? How could Tiffany still love him after everything that has happened to her?"

"Because Ryo didn't do this to her," Iris explained. "Also, Ryo is the one that rescued her. If Ryo didn't love her, then he wouldn't have rescued her from Dante. I know that you are unhappy with Ryo for what happened with Tiffany, but you can't be angry with Ryo. You can see the love those two have for each other and if you took Ryo away from Tiffany, she would fight you and would go with Ryo." Iris placed a hand on Leonce's cheek. "Remember the love we had for each other when we were younger?" Leonce smiled and covered her hand with his. "Yes I do."

"Now, think of what would happen if someone tried to tear us apart?"

Leonce's eyes widen. "No, I wouldn't let that happen."

"I know you wouldn't, but that is what you are trying to do with our daughter. Leonce, I love you but please don't make our daughter unhappy." Leonce turned to the door, staring through the window, watching Ryo and Tiffany. "Please think this over before you decide anything else." Iris walked over to the guys, leaving Leonce in his thoughts.

* * *

><p><strong>I was going to have the Warlords appear in this chapter but I decided against it. Don't worry, the Warlords will enter the story soon. Please review; bye :)<strong>


	16. Chapter 16

**I'm back with another chapter. I wanted to update yesterday but it was my birthday and I went out with my family and then saw Big Hero 6, which was a good movie by the way. **

**Anyway, I hope you like this chapter and I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 16<p>

A few days have passed since Tiffany was emitted to the hospital and Tiffany hated it. She didn't like that the hospital reminded her of that place and she wanted to go home. Every day, Tiffany would ask her friends when she was able to go home but they told her that she couldn't leave yet. Even though Tiffany was uncomfortable, she was happy that her friends and family were there to comfort her. Ryo mostly stayed with her, holding her in his arms and sleeping by her side at night. At first, Stephanie and Leonce weren't ok with this but Iris convinced them both that Ryo would be able to protect Tiffany at night. After a few days, Stephanie had allowed Tiffany's friends to come in and start visiting her. Of course, they couldn't stay as long as Ryo but it was enough for everyone to come in and say hi to Tiffany. Although, one of the best visits Tiffany had was today.

Tiffany and Ryo were snuggling on the bed while Cye and Sage were talking to them. Kento and Rowen were in the cafeteria while Mia was at home with Yulie. Just then, the door opened and Kayura came in, a smile on her face. "Tiffany, someone is here to see you."

"What do you mean?" Tiffany asked, confusion on her face. "Everyone is already here."

Kayura turned towards the door and then Bella ran into the room. "Bella!" Tiffany exclaimed as the big wolf jumped on the bed and started licking her cheek. Tiffany wrapped her arms around the wolf's neck, holding her friend close. She looked up at Kayura, tears in her eyes. "How were you able to bring her here?"

"Kayura contacted me, telling me to bring Bella," Anubis said, walking through the door. He then smiled at Tiffany. "Hello, Tiffany, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Thank you for bringing Bella."

Anubis smiled then nodded. Stephanie walked into the room and her heart almost stopped when she saw the wolf. "How did this wolf get in the room?!"

"I brought her here," Anubis answered calmly.

"Do you realize the danger you have put our patients in?! They could get bitten by this animal!"

"Bella would never hurt anyone," Tiffany said, scratching the wolf underneath the chin. "The only people she will attack is if someone attacks me or her."

Stephanie opened her mouth to reply but nothing came out. She continued to stare at the wolf before she finally nodded. "All right, I will allow this but if that wolf bites anyone, it's out of here."

Tiffany nodded, a smile on her face. She continued to scratch Bella even after Stephanie left. Ryo came over and started scratching Bella behind the ear, which made Bella turn her head to the side where Ryo was scratching her. "I guess she likes that," Ryo stated, smirking.

"Yeah, Bella loves it when someone scratches her behind the ears," explained Tiffany.

Cye and Sage came over and started scratching Bella. Loving all the attention she was getting, Bella jumped off the bed and sat on her hind legs, holding her front paws in the air. "Watch this." Tiffany pretended to shoot Bella and the wolf collapsed on the ground, not moving. After a few seconds, Bella got up, wagging her tail. Suddenly, Bella froze and looked behind her. She then started to chase her tail, which made everyone laugh at her. "Even though Bella looks big and tough, she acts like a puppy," commented Cye.

Sage nodded, agreeing with his friend.

Tiffany looked at her friends, who were watching Bella with smiles on their faces. Ever so slowly, Tiffany's eyes started to droop until they were fully closed. Kayura turned to Tiffany to say something but then stopped when she noticed that her friend was fast asleep. "Guys, maybe we should leave," whispered Kayura. Everyone turned to Tiffany and they too noticed that Tiffany was fast asleep. "Let's give her time to rest," said Anubis.

"I'll stay with her," Ryo said.

"No, Ryo," said Sage. "You need to move around and stretch your legs a bit. You have mostly been on the bed with Tiffany and you probably need to eat as well."

"But-"

"If you think that Tiffany will be unprotected if you leave, don't worry; she won't be; Bella will be here to protect her," stated Cye.

"All right." Everyone filed out of the room while Bella walked over to the bed, lying beside it. She rested her head on her paws and closed her eyes.

After everything had gotten quiet and everything was settled, Jax appeared from the shadows, smirking at the young girl. He walked over to Tiffany, being wary of the beast resting by the bed. Jax took out a knife, looking over Tiffany's body. _Where should I start?_ Jax asked himself. He then looked at Tiffany's locks and smirked. Jax gently gathered up Tiffany's hair and raised his knife. _I'll take this back as a souvenir._ Before Jax was able to cut Tiffany's hair, Bella opened her eyes and saw Jax. She growled at the man which made Jax stop what he was doing. Bella jumped at Jax, knocking him onto the ground. Tiffany heard the noise and woke up, her eyes widening when she saw Jax in the room. Jax raised his knife and swiped it at the wolf. Bella avoided the knife and jumped back, growling at him. "Cursed beast!" Jax yelled. Tiffany reached out her hand to press the call button but Jax noticed this. He threw the knife and it landed in Tiffany's hand, making her shriek in pain. Bella jumped at Jax again but Jax was able to grab to wolf and throw it at the wall. "Bella!" Tiffany screamed. She looked at the cup of water beside her and raised her hand. The water came out of the cup and Tiffany turned it into an ice spear. She threw it at Jax, piercing him in the eye. Jax hollered in pain, clutching his eye. Tiffany got up from the bed and tried to run to the door but collapsed from her still broken leg. Jax glared at the girl. "You bitch!" He stalked over to her while Tiffany crawled away from him, fear creeping up her spine. "Ryo! Ryo, help!" screamed Tiffany. Jax lunged at Tiffany, wrapped his hands around her throat. He started chocking her while Tiffany scratched at his hands and face, trying to break free. Jax only tightened his hold and tears started running down Tiffany's face. She was running out of air and knew that Jax would strangle her to death if he didn't release her. _Someone, help me_, Tiffany desperately thought. Right before Tiffany passed out, Jax was lifted off of Tiffany and she let in a huge breath of air. Tiffany weakly looked up to see the Warlords standing in front of Tiffany, glaring at Jax. "Who the hell are you?" spat Sekhmet.

"I could be asking you the same question," stated Jax.

"Why were you attacking Tiffany?" Dais asked.

"None of your business." Jax looked at Tiffany. "This isn't over." He threw something to the ground and a cloud of smoke appeared. The Warlords and Tiffany started coughing from the smoke and when it cleared, Jax was nowhere to be found. "He got away!" exclaimed Cale.

Tiffany stared at the spot Jax was in, breathing heavily. She felt something nudge her arm and looked down to see Bella staring at her. Tiffany wrapped her arms around the wolf and started crying.

Suddenly, the doors opened and Ryo ran in. He ran over to Tiffany and took her into his arms. Everyone else filed into the room seconds later. The Ronins saw the Warlords and glared at them. "What are you doing here?" Kento snarled.

"We are helping your friend," Dais said, gesturing to Tiffany.

"Yeah right," spat Rowen.

"It's true," muttered Tiffany, tears still streaming down her face. "If they hadn't have stopped Jax from strangling me, I would have been dead."

Ryo looked up at the Warlords, nodding at them. "Thank you." He then noticed the knife in Tiffany's hand. "Tiffany, your hand!" Tiffany didn't seem to hear Ryo and instead just stared off into space. Ryo noticed this and sighed. He gently grabbed Tiffany's hand and gingerly pulled the knife out of her hand.

Suddenly, Stephanie, Iris, and Leonce walked into the room, talking, when they saw Tiffany's bloody hand. "What happened?!" Stephanie yelled.

"A man came in and attacked Tiffany," Cale explained.

"Who are you?"

"Friends of mine," said Kayura. "They wanted to know how Tiffany was so I invited them here to see her."

"Yeah, and we were able to save her life," added Dais.

Leonce turned to Ryo, glaring at him. "So where the hell were you?!"

Ryo was about to speak when Sage spoke up. "Leonce, don't blame Ryo; it was our fault. We convinced him to leave the room to stretch his legs and get something to eat."

"And look what happened when Ryo left." Leonce walked over to the couple but stopped when he noticed that Tiffany was shaking even harder. "Tiffany?" Leonce touched Tiffany's shoulder but Tiffany shuddered from his touch. "I want to go home," whispered Tiffany, tears still streaming down her face. "I'm not safe here; they'll come back for me."

Ryo stared at Tiffany for a bit before gently picking her up and holding her in his arms. He started walking out of the room but Stephanie stopped him. "Where are you going?"

"I'm taking her home," Ryo stated.

"What? She's in no condition to-" Stephanie stopped mid-sentence when Bella started growling at her. She took a step back which allowed Ryo, Tiffany, and Bella to leave the room. Ryo continued walking until he reached the front desk, where a nurse was stationed there. She looked up to see Ryo carrying Tiffany. "Sir, this young woman is in bad condition; she needs to rest."

"Tiffany can rest at home, where she'll be safe," said Ryo.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let her leave unless her parents sign her release papers."

"Then give me the papers."

Ryo turned around to see Iris standing there. "Ryo, you're right; Tiffany needs to be somewhere safe." Iris looked at the nurse. "Can you please give me the papers?" The nurse nodded then turned around to another nurse, telling her to get the papers.

Suddenly, Leonce, the Ronins, Kayura, and the Warlords barged into the room. "Iris, what are you doing?!" Leonce exclaimed. "Tiffany needs to rest!" Iris ignored him.

"Ryo, put Tiffany back in that bed right now!" ordered Leonce but Ryo ignored him.

The nurse handed Iris the papers and told her that both parents needed to sign it. Iris signed her name then turned to Leonce, holding out the pen. "There is no way that I'm-"

"Leonce, just shut up and sign the damn papers!" Iris screamed at him.

Everyone got quiet and Leonce stared at his wife with wide eyes. He then took the pen and signed the papers. The nurse nodded her thanks and Ryo took Tiffany out of the hospital. Tiffany looked up at Ryo once she noticed that she was outside. "Are we going home?"

Ryo looked at her, smiling. "Yes, sweetheart; we're going home."

Tiffany smiled then placed her head in the crock of Ryo's neck. The Ronins came outside, gathering around the couple. "Iris is pretty steamed at Leonce and I think it's the first time he's actually quiet," commented Kento.

"Why are you taking her home?" Cye asked. "She needs rest and her hand hasn't been wrapped up yet."

Sage came over and, after making sure the coast was clear, placed his hand over Tiffany's. A soft green glow appeared and after a few minutes, Tiffany's hand was healed. "Thanks," said Ryo. "To answer your question Cye, I'm taking Tiffany home because she'll be safer there."

"But Dante knows where we live and he can come back," Rowen said.

"I know, but Tiffany will be more comfortable at home then here at the hospital."

The Ronins nodded. A Jeep pulled in front of the hospital and the window rolled down, revealing Mia. "I got a call saying that Tiffany was leaving the hospital."

"Who called you?" Ryo asked.

"Kayura."

He nodded. The Ronins got in the Jeep and Mia drove all of them home.

* * *

><p><strong>That was a long chapter! I'm about halfway done with this story but there is more action to come. Please review; bye :)<strong>


	17. Chapter 17

**New chapter everyone! I feel like this is more of a filler chapter but more action is to come!**

**I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 17<p>

Once the guys got back at the mansion, Ryo gently picked up Tiffany from his lap, holding her in his arms. He walked into the mansion and carried her up the stairs. Ryo walked into their room and placed Tiffany on the bed, pulling the covers over her. Tiffany slowly opened her eyes then looked up. "Ryo?"

Ryo sat down on the bed, stroking her hair. "Hi, sweetheart."

"Are we home?"

"Yes, we're home."

Tiffany felt a nudge and saw Bella and White Blaze staring at her. She smiled at the animals and reached out her hand. Both animals walked closer to Tiffany so that she wouldn't have to stretch that far to pet them. After Tiffany gave both animals some of her attention, she rested her hand back on the bed and started closing her eyes. She looked back at Ryo with tired eyes. "Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

Ryo smiled. "Sure." He laid down on the bed beside Tiffany and held her in his arms. Tiffany placed her head on Ryo's chest, listening to his heart beat; she could feel herself slowly falling asleep. Ryo looked down and saw that Tiffany was fast asleep. He placed a gentle kiss on her head then laid her down on the bed. Ryo looked at the animals by the bed. "Watch Tiffany." They nodded and White Blaze laid down beside the bed while Bella jumped up and curled up at the foot of the bed. Ryo walked out of the room, giving one last glance at Tiffany, before walking down the stairs.

The guys were in the living room, talking to each other, when Ryo walked in. "What took you so long, Ryo?" Kento asked, a smirk on his face.

Ryo glared at him. "Not funny, Kento."

"What? You were with Tiffany for a long time and-" Kento was interrupted when Sage hit him upside the head. "Hey!"

"Kento, Tiffany is hurt and she needs lots of rest," said Cye. "She probably woke up and wanted something."

"Exactly, she wanted me to stay with her until she fell asleep," commented Ryo.

"See Kento, it isn't what you think," said Rowen.

Kento was about to speak when a scream echoed through the mansion. "Tiffany!" Ryo exclaimed, running up the stairs. Everyone followed him up to Tiffany's room where Tiffany was thrashing around on the bed, tears running down her face. "Please don't hurt them! I'll do anything you want but don't hurt them!" Ryo ran over to Tiffany, grabbing her shoulders. "Tiffany, it's me!" Tiffany woke up, staring at Ryo with tears in her eyes. "You're ok."

"I'm fine, Tiffany," Ryo stated, brushing her hair behind her ear. "The guys are fine as well."

Tiffany looked at her friends, seeing all of them staring at her, worry on their faces. "But…but…"

"It was just a dream," Mia said, placing her hand on top of Tiffany's. "We are all fine."

Ryo brought Tiffany into his arms and Tiffany buried her on Ryo's chest. "Dante had all of you strapped down to a table and he was torturing you all. I begged him to stop but he wouldn't listen."

"Shh, we're fine," soothed Ryo. "Dante didn't torture us or anything."

Cye came over and sat down on the bed. "Tiffany, do you want anything to help you calm down?"

Tiffany thought about it for a moment then replied, "Something with chocolate."

"Good thing you made some brownies yesterday," commented Rowen.

"Brownies?" Tiffany questioned, perking up a bit.

"Yeah, Cye made brownies but wouldn't let me have one," Kento answered, glaring at Cye.

"They were for Tiffany!" exclaimed Cye.

"All of them?!"

"Kento, we know how you eat," said Sage. "Once you start eating something, you can't seem to stop."

Kento grumbled at them.

"I went shopping yesterday and bought some vanilla ice cream and whip cream," stated Mia.

"And chocolate syrup?" Tiffany asked.

Mia smiled then nodded.

"A warm brownie with vanilla ice cream, whip cream, and chocolate syrup?" Cye asked.

Tiffany nodded. "Yes please."

"Ok." Cye looked at Sage and Rowen. "Make sure Kento stays out of the kitchen."

They nodded and followed Cye out of the room, with Kento yelling at them in the process.

Ryo looked down at Tiffany, smiling at her. Everyone knew that Tiffany loves the creation of the brownie with the toppings. Tiffany created the dessert when Cye made brownies one day. She took the fresh-out-of-the-oven brownie and put ice cream, whip cream, and chocolate syrup on top; Tiffany was in heaven that day.

"Can I go downstairs?" Tiffany asked, which made Ryo snap out of his thoughts. Ryo nodded, still smiling. "Sure." He gently picked her up then proceeded to carry Tiffany down the stairs. Ryo placed her on couch but Tiffany reached out and pulled him onto the couch as well. She crawled onto his lap, snuggling into his chest. Ryo stretched his legs out on the couch then leaned back, wrapping his arms around Tiffany. Mia sat down on the recliner, grabbed the remote, and turned on the TV. The three were watching reruns of _I Love Lucy_ when Cye walked in, carrying a bowl with the brownie and toppings. Tiffany smiled at him then took the bowl from his hands and started eating the delicious dessert. She continued to watch TV while she ate the brownie. When the brownie was finished, Tiffany placed the empty bowl on the coffee table then leaned back onto Ryo. The TV played softly in the background and Ryo was gently stroking her hair which coaxed Tiffany back to sleep again. Ryo noticed this then grabbed a blanket and pulled it over her, to make sure she stays warm.

"Fell asleep again?" Sage asked, picking up the empty bowl.

"Yeah," Ryo answered. "She's been through a lot." _Dante will pay for this. I don't care if he is my father, but I will not let him get away with hurting Tiffany._

"Is Tiffany going to be ok?" Yulie asked, walking over to Ryo with Bella and White Blaze by his side.

"She'll be fine, Yulie," reassured Mia. "Tiffany needs lots of rest and relaxation."

"Don't worry, Yulie; Tiffany will be back on her feet in no time," stated Kento.

Yulie smiled then turned to Mia. "Can I go outside and play with White Blaze and Bella?"

"Sure, but be careful."

Yulie ran outside, with the two animals following him.

"He has a big ball of energy," commented Sage.

"We all had that much energy when we were younger as well, Sage," stated Rowen.

"Kento probably had more energy than the average kid when he was younger," joked Cye.

"Why does everyone make fun of me?!" Kento exclaimed.

"You are very hyper and you tend to charge into things head on," explained Sage.

"But that doesn't mean you can make fun of me!"

The two started to argue but when their voices got louder, Tiffany whimpered at the noise and she tried to drown out the noise by covering her ears. Ryo noticed what Tiffany was doing then turned his attention to Sage and Kento. "Guys, keep it down." The two immediately stopped arguing and stared at Tiffany. Everyone was quiet and soon, Tiffany uncovered her ears, snuggling back into Ryo. "I'm going to take her back to her room." The Ronins nodded so Ryo gently wrapped his arms around Tiffany and slowly got up. He walked upstairs to their room, placing her back on the bed. When Ryo went to pull the covers over Tiffany, he felt a hand on his wrist. He looked over to see Tiffany staring at him through tired eyes. "Stay." Ryo smiled then got into the bed beside Tiffany, pulling the covers over them. Tiffany got as close as she could to Ryo and she felt his warmth surrounding her, making her feel safe and secure. "I love you," Tiffany whispered, her voice thick with sleep.

"I love you, too." Ryo placed a gentle kiss on Tiffany's lips, which Tiffany returned. "Get some sleep now." Tiffany closed her eyes and she could feel Ryo rubbing soothing circles on her back as she fell asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>After writing this chapter, I really want a warm brownie topped with ice cream, whip cream, and chocolate syrup. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter and more action will come; I promise. Please review; bye :)<strong>


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello :)**

**I tried to post this yesterday for Valentine's Day but it didn't really work out. So to make it up, I made the chapter extra long for you. Also, I think this story will end in a few chapters; I'm thinking either 4 or 5.**

**Enjoy! I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 18<p>

_Tiffany woke up and found herself in a dark room. She looked around but saw that Ryo wasn't next to her anymore. Tiffany started to panic and she called out to her friends but got no response. The door suddenly opened and Dante walked in, a smirk on his face. Tiffany widen her eyes and started backing away from him. "Where's Ryo? What have you done with him?!"_

_ "I did nothing to him, sweetheart," replied Dante. "We just injected you with a new substance that makes you dream whatever we want."_

_ Tears ran down Tiffany's face; she had dreamt it all and she was still trapped in this place. Dante took out a whip with some spikes at the end. He pulled it back and whipped it against Tiffany's back. Tiffany screamed in pain as Dante proceeded to whip Tiffany. She could feel blood pooling around her and more tears ran down her face. Tiffany cried out in pain and she begged Dante to stop but he didn't listen to her. Dante finished whipping her then grabbed her chin and forced Tiffany to kiss him. More tears ran down Tiffany's face and when Dante pulled away, he gave her an evil smirk before throwing her to the ground. Dante walked out of the room, closing and locking the door. Tiffany couldn't believe that everything that had happened was a dream. She didn't know that Dante would go so low as to trick her but it shouldn't surprise her either, for Dante was a master of tricking people. Tiffany curled up in a ball and started crying, missing Ryo and her friends._

* * *

><p>Tiffany bolted upright in bed, breathing heavily. She looked around the room and saw that the room was dark. Tiffany started to panic as she looked around the room, trying to figure out where she was. "Tiffany?" She turned around and saw Ryo staring at her, worry filled his eyes. Tiffany reached her hand out and touched his face, feeling the softness of his skin. She smiled and then leaned into his chest, clutching his broad shoulders. "You're here," she whispered out, relief in her voice. "You're real."<p>

"Hey, hey, it's all right," Ryo soothed, rubbing her back. He gently turned her head up to make her look at him. "What's wrong?"

"I had a dream that I was back in that horrible place and that Dante had told me that I had dreamt you saving me." Tiffany's body shook as she tried to hold back tears. "It felt so real and I was so scared."

Ryo's eyes softened before leaning down and placing a gentle kiss against Tiffany's lips. Tiffany returned it back, wrapping her arms around his neck. Ryo snaked one hand into her hair while the other one wrapped around her waist. He nibbled on her bottom lip, making Tiffany moan in delight. Ryo moved his hand to her hip and gently applied pressure. Tiffany gasped in pain which made Ryo stop what he was doing. He was worried about his love when he noticed that he had placed his hand on her wounded hip. "I'm so sorry, Tiffany."

"It's ok, you didn't mean it," replied Tiffany, giving him a small smile. "I'm just happy that I'm with you instead of being strapped down on that table again."

Ryo cupped her face with his hands, staring into her blue eyes. "I know that I failed to protect you from Dante the first time, but I will _not _let him take you again."

"I know you won't." She gave him a small peck on the lips. "I love you, Wildfire."

"I love you too, my angel." The two shared another small but passionate kiss before laying back down and falling asleep.

* * *

><p>Light streamed through the curtains the next morning, waking up Tiffany. She reached her hand over to Ryo but felt empty sheets next to her. Tiffany sat up but then saw a note on the pillow. She picked it up and started reading it.<p>

_Sweetheart,_

_ I'm downstairs getting us some breakfast. Don't worry; White Blaze and Bella are there to protect you. _

_ I love you,_

_ Ryo._

Tiffany smiled. It was little sweet gestures like these that made Tiffany fall in love with Ryo all over again. She laid back down on the bed, wrapping the warm blankets around her. Tiffany didn't know why but she has been feeling very cold these past few days and no matter how many blankets she had on, she couldn't seem to get warm.

The door then opened, making Tiffany look up. Ryo came in, carrying a tray of eggs, bacon, toast, and two glasses of orange juice. He placed the tray on the nightstand before turning towards Tiffany. "Good morning, Tiffany."

"Morning." They shared a quick kiss before Tiffany almost dived for the food. She took most of the eggs, two strips of bacon, and two pieces of toast. "Hey, save some for me."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought this was all for me," Tiffany joked, a smile playing on her lips.

Ryo smirked at her then shook his head. He took the remaining food which consisted of a small portion of eggs, three strips of bacon and one piece of toast. Ryo gave Tiffany a glass of orange juice then sat down on the bed and the two started to eat their breakfast. Tiffany almost scarfed down the eggs, shocking Ryo but when he noticed the amount of weight she had loss, he decided not to say anything about it. When the two had finished their meal, Ryo took the dishes and placed them on the tray. Tiffany laid back down on the bed and Ryo leaned over, placing a kiss on her head. "Get some rest; you need it."

"Kay," Tiffany mumbled, her eyes almost shut.

Ryo left the room and walked downstairs, carrying the tray of empty dishes. When he walked into the living room, Ryo saw Kayura, Anubis, and the ex-Warlords in the living room, talking with his friends. He was momentarily shocked by this, making him stop in his tracks. Rowen was the first one to notice Ryo standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Hey, Ryo."

"What are they doing here?"

"Not happy to see us?" Anubis asked, a smirk on his face.

"No, it's just that I'm surprised to see all of you here."

"Kayura wanted to know how Tiffany was doing so she came over and Anubis and the ex-Warlords followed," explained Mia.

"Also, Iris is trying to calm down Leonce so she sent me over here to check on Tiffany," stated Kayura. "She didn't want Leonce to come over here while he's still ticked at you, Ryo."

"Leonce also wants us as backup," commented Cale.

"Backup?" Sage asked. "Backup for what?"

"Cale, you were supposed to say anything!" scolded Kayura.

"What did Leonce say?" Cye asked.

"He wanted us to help you guys just in case Dante came back," explained Sekhmet.

"Leonce just doesn't want his daughter to get kidnapped again and he thought that you five might need help in defeating Dante," Anubis explained.

"Does he think we can't handle it? We were able to beat Talpa without any help," stated Kento.

"He wouldn't calm down unless we left," said Kayura. "Iris knew that you five would handle it but she wanted us to go as well that way Leonce would feel better. Although, she won't let Leonce come over until he feels comfortable with Ryo."

Ryo nodded, understanding Kayura's explanation. He walked into the kitchen to put the dishes into the dishwasher.

* * *

><p>Bella and White Blaze were sleeping peacefully beside the bed Tiffany was sleeping on. Bella was curled up in a ball while White Blaze was laying on the carpet, his head resting on his paws. Even though the animals were sleeping, they were also alert in case someone came in and attacked Tiffany. Speaking of Tiffany, she wasn't sleeping very well. She kept on tossing and turning and her body was trembling. Tiffany snuggled into the blankets but she couldn't get warm no matter how wrapped up she was. Suddenly, she felt pain in her stomach so she curled up in a ball, clutching her stomach. Tiffany whimpered in pain which woke up Bella. The wolf walked over to Tiffany and nudged her gently. Tiffany opened her eyes, staring weakly at her friend. "Bella." The wolf licked her master's cheek, trying to offer some comfort.<p>

Suddenly, Tiffany stopped trembling and her eyes got wide. She covered her hand with her mouth, making Bella run to the corner of the room and get the trash can. She brought it back to Tiffany just in time for Tiffany to throw up in it. The gagging woke up White Blaze and he stared at Tiffany before leaving the room. When Tiffany finished, she leaned back, trembling. Bella jumped up on the bed, cuddling up next to Tiffany, trying to get her warm.

* * *

><p>Downstairs, everyone was conversing with one another when White Blaze walked into the room. He walked over to Ryo, grabbing his shirt with his teeth, and pulled. Ryo stared at the tiger, confusion on his face. "What's wrong, boy?" The tiger only pulled harder and Ryo had to stand up so his shirt wouldn't get ripped.<p>

"Is he trying to tell you something?" Anubis asked.

"I think so," muttered Cale.

"Is something wrong with Tiffany?" Kayura wondered.

White Blaze heard Kayura's question and he nodded. Ryo widen his eyes before heading upstairs. He ran into the room to see Tiffany on the bed with Bella beside her. "Tiffany?" She looked up and was about to respond when her eyes widen. Tiffany leaned over the side of the bed and threw up into the trash can again. Ryo came over, pulling Tiffany's hair out of her and rubbing her back. When she was done, Tiffany leaned back against Ryo. He felt her forehead. "Bella, can you get Mia?" The wolf nodded then jumped off the bed, racing out of the room. A few minutes passed before Mia and Kayura appeared. "What's wrong with Tiffany?" asked Kayura.

"She's burning up," answered Ryo. "I think she might be sick."

Mia left the room then came back with a wet cloth and a thermometer. She had Tiffany put the thermometer under her tongue. After a few minutes, the instrument beeped and Mia took it out, inspecting it. "101," Mia said. She placed the cloth on Tiffany's forehead, lightly wiping the sweat away. Tiffany sighed as the wet cloth soothed her throbbing forehead.

"I think a nice warm bath should help you, Tiffany," commented Kayura. "Along with some medicine and soup."

Tiffany smiled; that all sounded very good to her right now. She nodded her head in agreement, making Kayura smile. Kayura walked out of the room and running water could be heard coming from the bathroom. "Ryo, can you carry Tiffany into the bathroom?" Mia asked.

Ryo nodded then proceeded to pick up Tiffany and carry her to the bathroom. He placed her on the floor, stroking her hair. Tiffany looked up at Ryo and he noticed that her face was paler than it normally was. "You'll be ok, Tiffany; we'll make you feel better," Ryo reassured, stroking her hair.

Kayura turned off the water then looked at the couple. "Where's Mia?"

"I'm right here," Mia answered, walking into the bathroom.

She nodded. "Ryo, out."

"What?"

"Kayura and I will take care of her in here," Mia said.

"Even though you are Tiffany's fiancé, I don't want you to see her naked and start having fantasies," added Kayura, making Ryo blush. "Now out!" She pushed Ryo out of the bathroom. "I'll call you when we are done." With that, Kayura closed and locked the door.

Ryo walked back to room and took the trash can to wash it out. He took it downstairs where the Ronins were conversing with the Anubis. Sekhmet, Dais, and Cale were sitting in the background, just staring at them. Suddenly, Sekhmet crinkled his nose in disgust. "What is that smell?"

"Tiffany got sick so she threw up," explained Ryo. "I'm going to wash it out."

"Will she be ok?" Anubis asked.

"I hope so. Kayura and Mia are giving Tiffany a bath right now."

"I'll start making some soup then," Cye said, getting up and walking into the kitchen.

Ryo walked outside while everyone else stayed inside. Rowen grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. He turned it to a football game and started watching it with Kento, Sage, and Anubis. "How can you watch this?" Cale asked, an eyebrow raised.

"It's not my fault that you three have never experience football," commented Kento.

A wafting smell captured Kento's attention. He walked into the kitchen to get some food. Sage shook his head and mentally started counting in his head. Suddenly, Cye shouted, "KENTO, GET OUT OF HERE!" Kento ran out of the kitchen, almost running into Ryo who had returned. He stared at Kento for a moment before looking at Sage and Rowen. "Did he try to steal some food?" They nodded. Ryo returned the freshly washed trash can back to the room then came back downstairs and watched the game.

A few minutes had passed before Mia came downstairs. She walked into the kitchen and started conversing with Cye. He and Mia walked out of the kitchen, with Cye carrying the soup and Mia carrying the medicine and some water; they then walked upstairs. After a minute or two, Cye came back downstairs. "Is Tiffany out of the shower?" Ryo asked.

"Yeah, Mia wanted her to have something to eat before taking the medicine," answered Cye. "Now, if all of you are hungry, chicken noodle soup is on the menu for dinner. Take it or leave it, because I'm not making anything else for dinner."

Everyone nodded but none of them were really that hungry, expect for Kento who practically ran into the kitchen.

Around dinner time, the rest of the group was hungry so they went into the kitchen to have some soup. By that time, Kayura and Mia had come back downstairs for dinner as well. "I'm guessing you're here for dinner," commented Dais.

"No, we're here because we want to be," sassed Kayura.

"Sassy much?" Anubis questioned, a smirk on his face. Kayura smiled back before walking over to him and kissing him on the lips.

"Come on now, no PDA for dinner please," whined Kento.

Kayura just gave him the finger, making everyone laugh at Kento's expression. "How's Tiffany?" Rowen asked Mia.

"She's sleeping now. Right after she took the medicine, Tiffany started to get sleepy but she wouldn't let us leave until she had fallen asleep," explained Mia.

"Is Bella and White Blaze with her?" asked Ryo.

She nodded. Everyone got their bowl of soup and started to eat it. Some of them had seconds for it didn't really fill them up. Once everyone was finished and the table was cleared and the dishes were put in the dishwasher, everyone went back to doing what they were normally doing. Kento, Cye, Sage, and Mia watched TV, Kayura and Anubis were cuddling on the couch, Sekhmet and Cale were chatting quietly with each other, and Rowen had convinced Dais to play a game of chess with him. Ryo, however; went back upstairs to see Tiffany. He walked into the room to see Tiffany sleeping peacefully on the bed. Ryo walked over to the bed when he noticed she was shaking again. He got under the covers and wrapped his arms around Tiffany. After making sure the covers were covering them both, Ryo sent some of his power forth to warm up Tiffany. A soft sigh escaped Tiffany's lips but she didn't wake up; she only snuggled into Ryo's warmth. Ryo smiled at this and he placed his head on top of Tiffany's, the freshly sent of her strawberry shampoo filled his nose. He then fell asleep with Tiffany in his arms.

* * *

><p><strong>The comment that Cye made about taking it or leaving it came from a sign my mom has on the wall in our kitchen. It says 'today's dinner choice: take it or leave it.' If someone didn't like what my mom was making, she would gestured to the sign; it always cracks me up. I thought it would work for Cye since he didn't want to make something else for dinner when there was soup already made.<strong>

**Also, I have created a poll on my profile page. There are questions concerning Tiffany so go to it and vote. I'm not telling you what it is for it's a surprise so if you want to know what the poll is, go and check it out. Please vote; there are two questions and the popular answers from those two questions will be chosen. I will let the poll go until Friday so I won't be updating until the day after that. **

**So I hope you liked this chapter. Please review, bye :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello. I'm back and you shall see the results of the poll I posted. I hope you enjoy.**

**I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 19<p>

Over the next two weeks, Tiffany had been feeling a lot better with the help of some medicine and rest. Her fever was gone after two days and her body has been feeling a lot better as well. Tiffany's major wounds had become just scars and bruises, and her minor scars and bruises had faded away. Her ankle had fully healed but her leg was still broken. Although, Tiffany didn't need the cast anymore but she did need a brace. Of course, they had to go back to the doctor to get the brace which Tiffany wasn't happy with at all. But she was happy when she was able to leave and she didn't have to stay overnight. When Tiffany received the leg brace, she was happy that she was able to walk around without assistance. Although, even though her cold was gone, Tiffany still threw up at times. Ryo and the others tried to convince Tiffany to go to the doctor, but Tiffany wouldn't go back to that place.

* * *

><p>One day, Tiffany was downstairs, watching TV with Kayura and Mia. Tiffany had convinced Ryo to go out with his friends for a bit, to get out of the house for a while. It took a lot of persuading on Tiffany's part and also reassuring Ryo that the Warlords and Anubis will be at the mansion in case something happens. Ryo agreed and he and the other Ronin Warriors went out to have some 'guy time' while Anubis, Sekhmet, Dais, and Cale were outside, training in case Dante came back and tried anything.<p>

Tiffany, Kayura, and Mia were watching TV when Tiffany suddenly felt like eating something salty. She got up and headed towards the kitchen when she then felt like eating something sweet. But when she reached for some cookies, Tiffany didn't feel like eating anything. _Weird,_ Tiffany thought, walking out of the kitchen. She sat back down on the couch and continued to watch the show. "You all right, Tiffany?" Mia asked, worry on her face. Tiffany looked at her and was about to answer when she suddenly didn't feel good again. She ran, well tried to run with her leg still in a brace, to the bathroom. She leaned over the toilet and started throwing up again. When she was done, Tiffany rinsed out her mouth and walked back into the living room. "Tiffany, you ok?" Yulie asked. Tiffany smiled at the young boy. "I'm fine, Yulie; nothing to worry about." She then noticed something. "Where's Kayura?"

Before Mia could respond, the phone started to ring. Mia got up and walked over to the phone. "Hello?" She was silent before she held out the phone towards Tiffany. "It's your mom." Tiffany smiled at her then took the phone from her hands. "Hi, mom."

"_Hello, sweetie. How are you doing?_" Iris had started calling a few days after Tiffany returned to the mansion. She would call twice a week to check up on Tiffany to see how she was doing. Iris would then relay the message back to Leonce.

"I'm fine, mom," Tiffany answered, not really sure of her answer.

"_You don't sound convinced of that answer._"

Tiffany smiled; her mother was really good at noticing when something was wrong. "Let's just say I haven't been feeling like myself lately."

"_What's wrong?_"

"Well, remember my cold?"

"_Yes._"

"After the cold passed, I kept on throwing up over little things. Like in the mornings, if the food doesn't taste well. Also, the foods I do like don't taste good to me anymore. I've also been feeling very tired and I keep on getting weird cravings. I have no idea what is going on." Tiffany was exasperated while her mother was silent; she didn't say anything. "Mom?" No answer. "Mom, you're scaring me."

"_Tiffany…are you late?"_

"What?"

"_Are you late?_"

Tiffany didn't know what Iris was talking about until her eyes widen. Her mother was right; she was late.

The front door opened and Kayura appeared, holding a pregnancy test. "No," Tiffany mumbled. She could hear her mother asking her if she was ok but Tiffany didn't respond. All she could think about was the possibility of her being pregnant, and the child not being Ryo's.

* * *

><p>The Ronins had come back a few hours later, laughing and having a good time. "That was fun," stated Ryo.<p>

"See, aren't you happy that you came with us?" Kento asked.

The five of them had gone out to eat at a restaurant for lunch and then they went to see a movie filled with action and comedy; something all five of them liked. The movie was really funny and it made them laugh; they couldn't stop talking about the movie on their way home because it was so good.

"I really enjoyed that movie," stated Sage.

"It had a perfect blend of comedy and action," Cye said.

"I think the others would have enjoyed that movie as well," said Rowen.

"Maybe when it comes out on DVD, we can rent it and watch it with everyone," Ryo said.

They nodded then walked into the house, still smiling, when they noticed that Kayura had a grim look on her face. "Why the long face, Kayura?" asked Kento.

Kayura looked at them then sighed. "Ryo, I need you to promise me something."

"Sure."

"Promise me that whatever Tiffany tells you, you won't be mad at her or do anything to upset her."

"Why? What's going on?" Ryo was worried about Tiffany and he wanted to know what was wrong.

"Please just promise me that you won't do what I just said."

"I promise."

Kayura nodded. "She's in the bathroom with Mia." Ryo walked towards the bathroom and he could hear Kayura telling the others what was wrong. When he neared the bathroom, Ryo could hear light sobbing and Mia trying to reassure Tiffany. "He's going to hate me," sobbed Tiffany.

"He won't hate you," Mia reassured. "Ryo's not like that."

Ryo knocked on the door and Mia answered it. She smiled at him before turning to look at Tiffany. "Ryo's here." Mia walked out of the bathroom, giving Ryo a small smile; she then walked away. Ryo walked into the bathroom to see Tiffany sitting on the floor, with her legs drawn in and her head resting on her knees. Her arms were around her legs, holding them close, as her body rocked with sobs. Ryo knelt in front of her, lightly placing a hand on Tiffany's shoulder. Tiffany lifted her head up and her eyes were red from crying, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Ryo asked, wiping away the tears. Tiffany stared at him before pointing towards the sink. Ryo got up and walked towards the sink. He looked in it and saw a pregnancy test with a small plus sign on it. His eyes widen before turning to look towards Tiffany. "I'm so sorry," cried Tiffany.

"Hey, don't say that," Ryo said, kneeling in front of Tiffany again. "I'm not mad."

This only made Tiffany cry harder so Ryo took her into his arms, stroking her hair. "Why are you crying?"

"Because this baby might not be yours," cried Tiffany. "Jax raped me."

Anger overtook Ryo and he clenched his jaw. _That bastard_, Ryo thought. Tiffany's sobs snapped Ryo back to his senses. He held Tiffany closer to her then kissed her head. "It's not your fault, Tiffany. Even if this baby isn't mine, I will still love this child like it's my own. We'll raise this child to be sweet and caring like her mother," explained Ryo.

"You won't leave me because of this?" Tiffany asked.

"No, I will never leave you, sweetheart." Ryo lifted her head up, staring into her eyes. "I promise; I'll be by your side through all of this."

Tiffany smiled at him. "I love you, Ryo." She gave him a quick kiss. "So much."

"I love you as well." Ryo kissed her again. The two were silent for a while, just holding each other. "You know, there is a way to figure out how far along you are, but-"

"I'm not going back there," said Tiffany.

Ryo sighed.

"However, I do know another way."

"Really? How?"

"Well, first, I need to make a call."

* * *

><p>A knock sounded at the door an hour later. Mia walked over to the door and opened it. A middle aged woman with long silver hair and hazel eyes stood at the door. "Hello, I'm here to see Tiffany." Mia nodded then let the woman in. Everyone was chatting with each other until they saw the unknown woman walk into the living room.<p>

"Who are you?" Dais asked.

"My name is Rosa; Iris sent me here," the woman explained.

"Why?" asked Sekhmet.

"Because I asked for her," Tiffany answered, walking into the room. She walked up to Rosa, smiling at her. "Hello, Rosa."

"Hello Tiffany. How are you?"

"I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm good. Now, Iris told me what happened so I need you to sit down and we can get started." Tiffany nodded then sat down on the couch.

"What's going on?" Kento asked.

Tiffany looked at him, worried that the guys would think differently of her. Ryo saw that she was worried so he sat down next to her, taking her hand in his and kissing it. Tiffany smiled at him, knowing that Ryo would stick up for her if they thought negatively of her. "I'm pregnant and Rosa here can sense how far along a woman is," Tiffany explained.

"Why do you need to know how far along you are?" Cale asked.

"That way she knows how far along in her pregnancy she is," stated Kayura.

"Also…this baby might not by Ryo's," Tiffany added quietly.

Everyone widen their eyes except for Mia, Kayura, and Ryo, for they already knew about this. Rosa came over and placed her hand on Tiffany's stomach. She closed her eyes and concentrated, feeling for the baby. After a few minutes, Rosa opened her eyes. "You are five weeks pregnant."

Tiffany stared at her in confusion. "Don't you mean four weeks pregnant?"

"No, Tiffany; you are five weeks pregnant."

"But…Jax raped me four weeks ago."

"Did you and Ryo…made love before you were kidnapped?" Kayura asked. She had to be careful with her choice words for Yulie was in the room.

"It was…" Tiffany trailed off as she realized something. A smile appeared on her face and tears appeared in her eyes.

"Tiffany, what's wrong?" Ryo asked, worried about his love.

She turned to him. "Ryo, we made love a week before the incident with Jax; this baby is yours."

Ryo smiled before taking her in his arms, kissing her all over the face. The couple was extremely happy with their result and so was everyone else. They were smiling at the happy couple, well, except for Sekhmet, Dais, and Cale; they just nodded their heads in approval. "Congrats, guys," stated Cye.

"In nine months, we're going to have a little Ryo or a little Tiffany running around the place," commented Kento.

"I'm so happy for the both of you," Kayura said, tears gathering in her eyes.

"Kayura, are you crying?" Sekhmet asked, a smirk playing on his lips.

"No, I just got something in my eye."

Everyone chuckled at Kayura's attempts to wipe away the tears gathering in her eyes. Tiffany couldn't be more than happy as she rubbed her stomach. "Hi, sweetie. I'm your mommy and I can't wait to meet you." Ryo knelt in front of her and placed a kiss on her stomach. "I'm your daddy and I can't wait to meet you as well. I'm going to protect you just as I protect your mommy." Tiffany smiled at him, tears running down her face. Ryo looked up at her and smiled. All the stress and worry faded away at that moment. All that mattered was the joyful news of their child.

* * *

><p><strong>Did you guys like this chapter? Also, this story will be done in 3 chapters. I will try to update soon. Review; bye :)<strong>


	20. Chapter 20

**Yeah, new chapter and it's only been a day! Also, I forgot to mention this in the last chapter but a viewer told me that I named the villain after an Italian poet. I had no intention of doing that for I didn't even know that Dante was the name of a poet. **

**A little warning: there is going to be some violence towards the end of this chapter.**

**I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 20<p>

Five months had passed since Tiffany had found out she was pregnant. She was fully healed now and she was also showing. Tiffany and Ryo had also found out that the baby was going to be a girl from Rosa. After that day, Rosa told Iris and Leonce that Tiffany was pregnant and while Iris was happy, Leonce was enraged that Ryo had gotten his daughter pregnant before they got married. Although, when he heard that the father might have been a person who raped her, Leonce felt a little bit better and was ok with Ryo being the father of Tiffany's baby. Rosa kept on coming over for a check-up to see how the baby was doing. So far, everything was fine and nothing was wrong with the baby.

However, last month, Rosa did suspect that the baby would gain some kind of power. She thinks that the baby will be able to control fire since both Ryo and Tiffany dealt with fire. The guys had also been very supportive of Tiffany and they helped her out with anything that she needed. They all tired not to argue with each other as much for Tiffany needed her rest and she didn't need to stress over little things. However, there were times when the Ronins and the Warlords would butt heads but they would have to be reminded not to get into a fight. Even though the Warlords weren't evil anymore, it didn't mean that they couldn't still argue with each other over little things.

Although, there was one thing that had been on everyone's minds lately. Over these past five months, Dante and his men haven't tried anything to get Tiffany back or launch a surprise attack. Ryo feared that Dante would try something when Tiffany was going into labor, where she couldn't defend herself. Also, Tiffany had found out that she couldn't bend some of the elements as easily as she could. She found it difficult to control the earth and when she tried to tame fire, Tiffany would lose control and the fire would burn her. The only elements that she could control was water and air for those two weren't that hard to control. She could control over the power of light only if Tiffany was on a good day. So Ryo and the others were super protective over Tiffany in case something happened.

* * *

><p>One day, Tiffany was outside, enjoying the fresh air and the sunshine. It was now summer and all the snow had melted and it was nice and warm outside. Tiffany loved the outdoors and she loved the birds singing. Sometimes, she would whistle to see if the birds would sing back to her. Sometimes, if Tiffany whistled to the birds long enough, the birds would fly over and perch on her open hand or her shoulder.<p>

She heard the birds singing and Tiffany smiled. She started whistling and soon, the birds were singing back to her. Although, this didn't last long for Bella ran towards Tiffany, which scared all of the birds away. Tiffany sighed at this before turning towards her wolf. Bella curled up beside her, placing her head near her womb; it looked as if Bella was listening for the baby. Tiffany smiled then started to pet Bella, scratching her behind the ears.

"Bella!" Tiffany looked up to see Yulie walk over, with White Blaze beside him. When Yulie spotted Bella, he ran over to the two. "How are you, Tiffany?"

Tiffany smiled at the young boy. "I'm fine, Yulie; and you?"

"I'm good." Yulie started to pet the wolf when Tiffany felt the baby kick. She placed her hand on her stomach, rubbing it affectionately. "Are you ok?" Yulie asked.

"Yeah, the baby is just kicking."

"Can I feel it?"

Tiffany nodded then Yulie placed his hands on her stomach. The baby kicked again, making Yulie smile. "I felt it, it moved!" Tiffany smiled at the boy's excitement. "When well she come?"

"In a few more months. All we can do is be patient and wait.'

Yulie pouted. "I don't like waiting."

"Don't worry; she'll be here soon before you know it."

Suddenly, White Blaze started growling. Tiffany looked at the tiger, who was staring at the forest. "What's wrong, White Blaze?"

Bella heard something as well before she got up and stood in front of Tiffany, growling as well. Tiffany's eyes widen when she realized what was happening. "Yulie, I want you to go inside and get the guys."

Yulie nodded and started heading for the mansion when a knife pierced the ground before Yulie. An evil laugh filled the area and Tiffany brought Yulie closer to her, so that the young boy wouldn't get hurt. From the forest, Dexter and Jax appeared, walking calmly over to them. Bella jumped at them but was easily taken down by Jax. "Bella!" Tiffany screamed. White Blaze roared before charging at the two. Dexter just smirked then held out his hand. The tiger stopped in his tracks, whining at the pain forming in his head. White Blaze shook his head but nothing could get rid of the pain. Jax then slammed his fist on the tiger's head, effectively knocking him out. "White Blaze!" Yulie cried.

"Don't worry, your furry friends will be all right," said Jax.

"We just want you to with us, Tiffany," Dexter said, holding out his hand.

"Why should I?" spat Tiffany.

"Listen, either you come with us or we'll take the boy and use him as target practice," threatened Jax.

Tiffany widen her eyes. These men will do anything to get her back; even hurt children! Tiffany looked down at Yulie with sad eyes. "No, Tiffany!" cried Yulie. "You can't go with them!"

"If I don't, you'll get hurt," said Tiffany. "I wouldn't be able to handle the guilt if you got hurt because I refused to go with them." She hugged the young boy then whispered, "After I leave with them, get Ryo and the others. I will try to hold them as long as I can so that they don't hide me again."

"Ok." Tears appeared in Yulie's eyes as he held Tiffany. "Hey now, don't cry," Tiffany said, wiping away the tears. She smiled at him before turning towards Dexter and Jax. "I'll go with you but only if you promise not to hurt the boy."

"We won't hurt the little one," swore Dexter.

Tiffany walked over to the two while Yulie stood in shock. Once she was by the two, Yulie ran into the mansion to get the guys. Tiffany saw this and, using the power of air, blew Jax and Dexter away before running away. "Bitch!" Jax exclaimed, running after her with Dexter following.

* * *

><p>Inside, Yulie ran into the living room, tears streaming down his face. Conversation in the living room stopped when they saw him. "Yulie, what's wrong?" Mia asked.<p>

"It's Tiffany," Yulie sobbed.

"What about Tiffany?" Ryo asked, now worried about his love.

"Jax and Dexter appeared and told her to go with them or else I would get hurt. She said that she would hold them off while I went to get help."

"But she can't fight them in her condition!" exclaimed Kayura.

"We have to find her!" ordered Ryo. The Ronins put on their sub-armors as well as Anubis and the Warlords. Kayura grabbed the Ancient's Staff and they all headed out to find Tiffany.

* * *

><p>Tiffany was running through the forest, trying to gain some distance between herself and the two men, before she felt a pain in her stomach. She stopped running, leaning against the tree. "Don't stop me sweetheart; I'm trying to protect you," mumbled Tiffany. She was about to start running again but a pain in her leg stopped her. Tiffany looked down to see a knife sticking in her leg.<p>

"Running away, are we?" Dexter asked, appearing before Tiffany. "That's not very nice."

Tiffany stared at him, confusion on her face. _Where's Jax?_ She was then pushed to the ground by Jax. He smiled at her then noticed her stomach. "Well, well, well, expecting a child, are you?" Jax took the knife out of Tiffany's leg. "I was going to repay you by taking out one of your eyes, but I think we need to get rid of the child first." Before Jax could pierce the womb, Tiffany was able to form a strong ice barrier around her womb. Jax kept on stabbing the ice but it didn't break. His face got red with anger then he stood up, taking out a whip. Tiffany wasn't able to protect herself in time when Jax brought the whip down on her. Tiffany screamed in pain and all she could do was protect her unborn child as Jax mercilessly whipped her back, legs, arms; anywhere on Tiffany's body was at the mercy of the whip.

"That's enough, Jax," Dexter said after a few minutes. Jax stopped whipping Tiffany, who was bleeding heavily. Her back was torn and there were marks all over her legs, arms, and face. Tiffany was able to keep the ice barrier around the womb so no damage was done to it.

Dexter knelt in front of Tiffany, lifting her head up to look at him. "You won't be able to keep that barrier up for long. Soon, you'll lose so much energy and blood that you'll subconsciously drop the barrier."

"Why do you want to kill my child?" Tiffany weakly asked.

"Because it will gain your powers," said Jax. "And we can't have that because then you'll lose yours and your baby will take them."

"Let's make a deal; drop the barrier and we'll make the pain fast and quick," said Dexter. "You won't even feel anything."

Tiffany only spat in his face.

"I guess we're going to do it the hard way." He then whistled and rustling could be heard. Tiffany looked behind her then widen her eyes. A mutant spider appeared before them. From the waist up was a body of a man while its legs were that of a spiders. The man was shirtless and his hands had become claws. He was bald, his ears were pointy, and his eyes were golden. He hissed at them, showing his fangs. "What the hell is that?!" exclaimed Tiffany.

"Don't you recognize him?" Dexter asked. "That's Jepther."

Tiffany couldn't believe her ears. "You turned him into that monster?!"

"What do you think we have been doing for the past five months?" asked Jax. "Jepther, do whatever you can to get rid of the barrier. Then, once you have completed that, kill the unborn child."

Jepther hissed before charging at Tiffany. She was able to dodge it but Jepther grabbed her leg then threw her into a tree. Jepther pinned her down to the floor then started to wrap up her legs in silk, so that Tiffany couldn't get away. Jepther leaned down towards the barrier but Tiffany pushed him away. He hissed at her before grabbing her arms and pinning them above her head, wrapping them up in silk as well. Jepther tried to eat the barrier but his teeth wasn't able to penetrate the ice. So instead, he started hitting the ice with his sharp claws. Little by little, the ice started to break and all Tiffany could do was beg for Jepther to stop and come to his senses. Suddenly, the barrier broke and Jepther stopped what he was doing. "Finish it!" yelled Jax.

"Jepther, please don't do this!" Tiffany cried, tears streaming down her face. "I beg you!"

Jepther showed his fangs as he leaned down to take a bite.

"Get away from her!"

Jepther turned around but was met with a kick to the face. He stumbled away, shaking his head from the kick. Jepther looked up to see the Ronins, Kayura, Anubis, and the Warlords surrounding Tiffany.

"What the hell is that thing?!" exclaimed Cale.

"It's Jepther," sobbed Tiffany. "Dante, Dexter, and Jax transformed him into that thing."

Kayura knelt beside Tiffany and started to cut away at the silk. "Is the baby ok?" Kayura asked after Tiffany was free.

"I think so."

Sage came over and placed a hand on Tiffany's forehead. He closed his eyes and a light green glow appeared. Tiffany's wounds healed but there was still dried blood that caked her skin.

"Why did you do this to Jepther?!" yelled Ryo.

"He betrayed us!" Jax yelled back. "We knew that he was a fighter so we did some experiments on him to make him obey us and this was the final product!"

"He listens to us now and does whatever we say," said Dexter. "Jepther, kill them all but spare Tiffany."

Jepther hissed then charged towards the group. Everyone got prepared to fight except for Dais, who stood before them. "Dais, what are you doing?!" Kento asked.

Dais held his hand out and Jepther stopped in his tracks. He stared at Dais for a moment before his eyes narrowed. Jepther turned around and faced Dexter and Jax, showing his fangs.

"Kill them, Jepther!" ordered Jax.

Jepther shook his head, staring the two men down.

"I can communicate with spiders so I was able to tell Jepther the truth about what happened," explained Dais. "He knows who he is and he is beyond pissed at you. If I were you, I would start running."

Jepther charged at Dexter and Jax and they were able to dodge them. Although, they forgot about how fast Jepther was so he was able to tackle them both to the ground. Jepther raised his claws and started attacking the men.

Ryo picked up Tiffany and he and everyone else ran away from the scene, not wanting to see what Jepther was doing them. Dexter and Jax's screams could be heard in the distance but no one stopped. They got back to the mansion and none of them could believe what they had just witnessed.

"I felt like I was in a sci-fi movie just a few moments ago," commented Rowen.

"I know that's one image that won't be going away soon," mumbled Cye.

"Tiffany, are you ok?" Ryo asked, setting her down on the porch.

"They wanted to kill our baby," she whispered, her body shaking with fear.

Ryo brought her into his arms, trying to soothe his fiancé. Tiffany suddenly snapped back to her senses. "The baby! Is she ok?!"

"When I healed you, I didn't sense anything wrong with her," said Sage.

Tiffany sighed then leaned into the arms of her lover.

Rustling could be heard and everyone got prepared to fight. Jepther appeared before them, blood covering his body. "Dexter…is…dead," Jepther mumbled out. "Jax…got…away…but….badly…injured."

They all nodded at Jepther in understanding.

"Kill…me."

"Why?" Anubis asked.

"No…like…this…body…too…much…pain." Jepther looked at Tiffany. "Sorry…for…attacking...you."

"It's ok. I'm sorry that they did this to you."

Jepther smiled sadly at her.

Bella and White Blaze appeared and they growled at the sight of him. Jepther looked at them and an idea popped into his head. He hissed at them which made Bella charged at him. Jepther ran into the forest and Bella followed. Rustling could be heard and then it stopped. Bella walked out with no injuries on her whatsoever.

"He didn't put up a fight," Sekhmet mumbled.

Everyone hung their heads in silence for Jepther.

* * *

><p>Dante was beyond pissed at what he heard from Jax. "Dexter is dead?!"<p>

Jax nodded. "One of Tiffany's friends turned Jepther against us." He was bleeding heavily and was finding it hard to stay awake. He had lost an arm trying to get away and he didn't stop even when Dexter called out to save him.

"How could this have happened?"

"Well, Tiffany was pregnant and-"

"What did you say?"

"Tiffany was pregnant."

Dante's eyes widen then he started laughing.

"Dante?" Jax was slightly worried about Dante for his was laughing like crazy.

"Don't you see? It'll be much easier to control the powers from a child then from a grown woman. We'll take the child and raise it under our care."

"We're not going to kill it?"

Dante stared at him. "You tried to kill it, didn't you?'

"I mean, we thought that the powers would go to the baby and-"

"You didn't want me to have the powers, didn't you?!"

"No Dante, I-" Jax was interrupted by Dante shoving a dagger in his heart. "Why?" Jax asked before collapsing to the ground.

"Now, I have to do things my way," Dante mumbled, walking out of the room with a plan forming in mind.

* * *

><p><strong>Dante has gone beyond crazy now and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Two more chapters left until this story is over. I'm going to bed because it's around 12:30 in the morning. Review and goodnight :)<strong>


	21. Chapter 21

**Hello everyone! Guys, be happy because this is the longest chapter I have ever written! This chapter has the final battle between Dante and everyone else. Who will win? Read to find out.**

**I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 21<p>

The next day, Tiffany was sitting on the balcony, staring at the shimmering lake. She heard the door open and turned around. Ryo walked towards her, a smile on his face. "Hey."

"Hi." Ryo sat down next to her, taking her hand in his. "How are you doing?"

Tiffany shrugged. "Ok, I guess."

"Are you worried about Dante?"

"Ryo, he sent Jax and Dexter to kill our baby. What if he comes back to finish the job?"

"I'm not going to let that happen." Ryo stared at Tiffany in the eyes. "He's not going to lay a finger on you or the baby."

Tiffany smiled at him then kissed him on the lips. "Have you thought about any names for the baby?"

"Only a few."

"Can I hear them?"

Ryo nodded. "I thought of Jennie, Selena, Victoria, and Rena."

"I don't like Selena or Jennie, but Victoria and Rena sounds good."

"What about you?"

"I like the names Amy, Taylor, and Kate. What do you think?"

"Kate…not so much, but I like Amy and Taylor."

"So we have Amy, Taylor, Victoria, and Rena." Tiffany thought about the four names, trying to see which would be perfect.

"I can see Rena as a middle name but not a first name," commented Ryo.

"Now that I think about it, I really don't like Victoria that much," said Tiffany.

"Ok, so we have Amy and Taylor."

Tiffany tried the names in her head to see which one would work. One of them seemed to roll right off her tongue while the other one didn't sound so good. "I got it!" Ryo turned to her, with an expression that said go on. "Amy Rena Sanada." Ryo smiled. "That's perfect."

"So that way we both came up with the name. You came up with the middle name and I came up with the first."

"Then I'm guessing by the last name you want to get married before Amy is born?"

Tiffany nodded. "I think it would be easier on the both of us if our child was born when we are already married. That way, we don't have to worry about taking care of our child _and _planning a wedding."

"Ok."

Tiffany placed her head on Ryo's shoulder and sighed. She felt Ryo wrapping his arm around her, holding her close to him. The couple sat there, just enjoying the peace that had been offered to them in that moment.

* * *

><p>A couple of weeks have passed and things were rolling along smoothly. Tiffany called her mother and told her the plan and Iris said that she would help out with the wedding. The village was going to hold the wedding and the reception and Iris would give Tiffany and Ryo a cabin a few miles away from the village for their honeymoon. Unfortunately, the dress that Iris wanted Tiffany to wear wouldn't fit her so she had to go dress shopping to look for a new dress. That's what Tiffany, Kayura, and Mia were doing today.<p>

At a dress shop in downtown Toyama, the three women were looking around at the different kinds of wedding dresses. "So, what is your dream wedding dress, Tiffany?" Kayura asked, looking through a rack of dresses.

"Well, I don't want a dress that won't squeeze or put pressure on my baby," Tiffany started, thinking about her dress. "A floor-length dress with some silver heels to go with it. Some kind of design around the top of the dress and I would also like it to be strapless."

"Something like this?" Mia asked, taking a dress off the rack. The dress was a creamy white color that was also floor-length and had a sweetheart neckline. The bodice is wrapped with lace embroidery and shimmering beaded jewel embellishment. Then, at the waist, the dress flared out with lots of ruffles all the way to the bottom. It looked like the dress wouldn't squeeze Tiffany's womb and there was a zipper on the back of the dress.

"That's the one," Tiffany said, walking over to Mia. She examined the dress for a while then stated that she was going to try it on. While Kayura and Mia waited for Tiffany to get out, the door opened and the little bell rang. The two turned towards the door to see Iris walk in. She spotted the two and walked over to them. "What are you doing here?" Kayura asked.

"I'm not missing my daughter trying and finding her wedding dress," stated Iris.

"Well, Tiffany found a dress already and she is trying it on right now," Mia said.

"I need some help," called Tiffany.

Mia got up and walked into the dressing room. A few moments later, Tiffany walked out of the dressing room with Mia following close behind. Iris started to tear up at the sight of her daughter. "Tiffany, you look so beautiful in that dress."

Tiffany smiled. "Thanks, mom." She looked at herself in the mirror then twirled around.

"Does it fit?" Kayura asked.

"Well, it is kind of tight around my stomach area but I might have to just grin and bear it."

"I can put some extra room in there if you like," a saleswoman said, appearing before the group. "I can fit the dress so that it isn't squeezing you or anything."

"You'll do that?" Tiffany asked.

"Of course. If that's the dress you love and you need to make a few changes, then I can fit it to your liking."

"Is there a way you can fit her now, fix it, and then call me when the dress is ready?" Iris asked.

"Yes," answered the saleswoman.

"Perfect." Iris turned to Tiffany. "I'm going to pick up your dress and keep it at our house. I don't want Ryo to see you in it until the wedding day."

"Mia and I will take you home the day before so you can get ready over there," said Kayura.

Tiffany nodded. The woman came over and started to measure Tiffany. She wrote down the measurements then told the group that the adjustments for the dress should be ready in a week or two. Iris gave the saleswoman her number while Mia and Kayura helped Tiffany out of her dress. No one was aware that someone was watching them.

* * *

><p>Later that day, Tiffany, Mia, and Kayura returned home from shopping and they were exhausted, especially Tiffany. She just wanted to sit down and place her feet in hot water. "How was shopping?" Cye asked the girls.<p>

"Tiring," Tiffany said, sitting down on the couch. Ryo came over and started to massage Tiffany's sore feet. Tiffany smiled at him then leaned into the couch, closing her eyes. "I got my wedding dress today," she mumbled.

"What's it look like?" Ryo asked.

"You won't find out till our wedding day."

Ryo sighed but continued to massage his fiancé's feet.

"Also, Tiffany, Mia, and I are going to the village the day before the wedding," stated Kayura.

"Why?" Kento asked.

"The dress is going to be at Tiffany's house and it would be easier for Tiffany to get ready over there."

"Ryo, can you help me up?" Tiffany asked. "I need to get something from upstairs."

Ryo nodded then gently lifted Tiffany off of the couch. Tiffany pecked him on the cheek before walking up the stairs to their shared room. She was getting cold so she wanted to put on her sweater to warm her up. While Tiffany was looking through her closet, a hand covered her mouth and Tiffany released a muffled screamed but she was knocked out.

Downstairs, the guys had heard the scream and were racing up the stairs. Tiffany ran out of the room, tears streaming down her face, and ran into Ryo. "Tiffany, what's wrong?"

"Sp…sp…spider," Tiffany managed out.

Dais and Kento started walking into the room and in front of the closet doors, a spider the size of a dime was crawling along. Dais knelt down and picked up the spider while Kento opened the bedroom window. Dais tossed the spider outside then closed the window.

"The spider's gone now," Kento called out.

"Thanks," Tiffany whispered.

While everyone was asking Tiffany is she was all right, Ryo was just staring at her; something wasn't right. It wasn't until everyone came back downstairs when Ryo realized what it was. He grabbed Tiffany's shoulders and pinned her against the wall. "Where is she?"

"Ryo, what has gotten into you?!" exclaimed Mia.

"What are you talking about?" Tiffany asked.

"Tiffany. Where is she?"

"She's right in front of you," said Anubis.

"Last I checked, Tiffany was pregnant and didn't have a flat stomach."

That's when everyone noticed that Tiffany didn't have her bump anymore. Tiffany smirked at Ryo. "I'm impressed; I thought it would take you a long time to figure it out."

"Where is she?!"

Tiffany pushed Ryo away then addressed the group. "I have a message from Dante. He wants to fight you with his new power and if you lose, he'll take Tiffany and her baby." They all widen their eyes at this message. "Dante will be waiting for you at the abandon factory 5 miles away from downtown Toyama." With that, the fake Tiffany disappeared into thin air.

"What do we do?" Sage asked.

"We go after him," said Ryo.

The Ronins and the Warlords put on their sub-armors while Kayura grabbed the staff. Bella and White Blaze got Tiffany's scent and they all went out to have their final battle with Dante.

* * *

><p>Tiffany woke up and found herself lying on a cold, hard table. She was chained down to the table by her arms and legs but there were no chains around her womb. Tiffany looked around the place, trying to figure out where she was.<p>

"I see that you are awake." Tiffany turned to her left to see Dante walked towards her, a smile on his face. "We are not in our usually place, if that's what you are wondering. I thought we should spice things up a bit for our last battle."

"What do you mean?" Tiffany asked.

Dante leaned towards her. "I challenged your little friends to a fight. Winner gets to have you and your little baby." Dante placed his hand on her womb.

"Get your hands off my baby!"

"You are in no position to demand orders, my dear. I could easily end your baby's life and not only would that be bad for you, but bad for me."

"Why would it be bad for you?"

"I want your child."

"What?!"

"After my wife had Ryo, I had an accident that took away any chances of getting my wife pregnant again; I couldn't have any more children with her. I cherished Ryo, my only son, with so much love and gave him so much. We were a happy family until you," Dante pointed at Tiffany, "killed my wife and turned my only son against me!"

"I didn't do any of those things! You are-" SMACK! Tiffany's head snapped to the side as Dante slapped her hard. She could taste blood from her split lip but didn't say anything about it.

"I would be careful what you say, girl. I don't want to hurt you so much that you lose your baby." Dante leaned down and placed his head on her womb. He smiled when he felt the baby kicking him. "I can tell that this child will be strong; excellent." Dante pushed Tiffany's shirt up a little passed the womb and started placing kisses on it. Tiffany held back the tears for she didn't want to seem weak as Dante kissed her exposed stomach.

Suddenly, Dante moved onto the table so that he was straddling Tiffany. He then placed his hands on both sides of her face and leaned in, placing his lips on hers. Tiffany squeezed her eyes shut as she felt Dante run his tongue across her bottom lip. She wouldn't let him enter until Dante punched her arm, making Tiffany gasp in pain. Dante thrusted his tongue into her mouth but Tiffany bit his tongue. He quickly sat up then checked his tongue for damage. After finding that there was no blood, Dante raised his hand and slapped her twice, on both cheeks. He then got off her and walked over towards a machine. "Do you know what this is, sweetheart?" Dante asked, picking up headband and placing it on his forehead. "This machine will give me unlimited power that will be enough to defeat those Ronins." He grabbed two wires from the machine then walked over to Tiffany and placed each wire on her forehead. "And the power I get it from is you." Before Tiffany could say anything, Dante turned on the machine and pain unlike anything Tiffany had experience surged through her. She screamed in pain as she felt like she was being torn apart and having her limbs pulled from her body. After a few minutes, the machine turned off and Tiffany was breathing heavily. Dante walked over towards her and started to stroke her cheek. "Thank you, my dear; you have given me unbelievable power." He demonstrated by bending the elements right before Tiffany's eyes.

Suddenly, the doors to the building were forced opened as the Ronins, Warlords, Kayura, Bella, and White Blaze stood in the entrance. "Hello, Ronins," greeted Dante. "Nice to see you again. I see that you brought some company."

Tiffany weakly turned her head and stared at her friends. "Ryo."

"Let her go," demanded Ryo.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that," said Dante.

"Let our friend go or else we'll fight you until you do," said Kento.

Dante smirked. "Go ahead and try."

Kento charged at him but Dante shot out his hand and lightening shot out. It hit Kento, which made him fly into a wall.

"Kento!" exclaimed the Ronins.

"He's strong," Kento mumbled, slowly getting up.

"I hope that is not all that you have for me," taunted Dante.

"No, it isn't. Armor of Wildfire! Dao Jin!"

"Halo!"

"Strata!"

"Torrent!"

"Hardrock!"

"Cruelty!"

"Venom!"

"Corruption!"

"Illusion!"

Cherry blossoms surrounded the Ronins and the Warlords as their armors appeared on them. They took out their weapons and stared at Dante.

Kayura put on the outfit that she fought in during the Dynasty wars and took out her twin Starlight Swords.

Dante took out his large blade and pointed it at the group. "Come fight me!"

The Ronins charged at Dante but he was surprisingly faster and stronger than them. Dante was able to dodge all of their attacks and knocked them down. The Warlords tried as well but they were knocked down as well. Kayura was able to go toe to toe with Dante but she was knocked down as well.

"He's gotten stronger," said Kayura.

"How?" Cye asked. "We were able to hold him off before and now we can barely touch him."

Dante started laughing at them. "I can't believe that this is all that you have for me."

Rowen placed an arrow in his bow and pointed it at Dante. He fired the arrow and it pierced Dante's shoulder. Suddenly, Tiffany started screaming as pain ran through her shoulder and when Dante took out the arrow, it was healed

"What?" Rowen asked.

"She must have felt your arrow," stated Sage.

"You are correct," Dante said. "I merged her powers with mine and now, she feels anything I feel." Dante positioned the arrow over his hand. "And, she unwillingly heals me as well." He pierced his hand, making Tiffany scream in pain. He dragged the arrows up his arm and Tiffany continued to scream.

"Stop it!" yelled Ryo.

Dante stopped and looked at him, smirking. "What are you going to do about it if I don't? You can't hurt me for if you do, your little fiancé gets hurt instead."

Ryo stared at him before turning to look at Tiffany. There were tears running down her face and she was breathing heavily. Ryo could tell that Tiffany was in a lot of pain and knew that he needed to do something quick before something happens to her or the baby.

"Wildfire, I have a plan," Sekhmet suddenly whispered in Ryo's ear.

"You do?"

"Dante has a headband on and it looks like it is connected to a machine, which is connected to Tiffany. We have to distract him while one of us disconnects Tiffany from the machine."

Ryo nodded and they both quietly told the others of the plan. Dante stared at them, confusion on his face. "Are we going to fight or talk?" The group turned towards him and, all at once, charged at Dante. He was surprised by this and knew that they were being serious. He deflected their attacks but what he didn't know was that Kayura was heading over towards Tiffany. Kayura started to gently take the chains off of Tiffany and she noticed that Tiffany's arms and legs were red from where Tiffany struggled to break free. Kayura helped Tiffany off the table and helped her walk over to Bella and White Blaze. The others saw this and they knew that it was time to stop playing around.

Anubis jumped in the air and started twirling his chain while Dais took his kamas and pointed it at Dante.

"Quake with Fear!"

"Web of Deception!"

The chains and the webs combined together to form a sticky trap which wrapped around Dante, holding him to the ground. Dante struggled to break free but couldn't so he decided to gain more power from Tiffany. Although, when he tried, nothing came to his aid. Dante turned around to see Tiffany by Kayura, White Blaze, and Bella.

"Black Lightening Slash!"

"Snake Fang Strike!"

"Arrow Shock Wave!"

"Iron Rock Crusher!"

"Super Wave Smasher!"

"Thunder Bolt Cut!"

"Flare Up Now!"

Everyone else combined their attacks into one giant sure-kill. It hit Dante and he screamed in pain and anger as the sure-kill destroyed him. The guys were relieved that it was over but it was soon replaced with shock as Dante's mangled body started to form into something else. Threads shot out from its body, forming into a new being. No one could tell what it was but the new creature had bright red eyes.

"What is that thing?!" exclaimed Kento.

"I don't know, but it's not human," said Cale.

The creature turned towards Tiffany and she took a step back, fearing what this thing might do to her. Kayura narrowed her eyes then readied her Starlight Swords. "This time, you'll go down for sure. Star Storm Scream!" Kayura launched her attack towards the creature but when it struck, it didn't even phase him. "What?" The creature raised his hand then swatted Kayura away.

"Kayura!" Anubis exclaimed, running over to her.

Bella and White Blaze jumped at it but threads appeared from the ground, pulling the animals down and holding them in place. Tiffany panicked as the creature stepped closer to her.

"Thunder Bolt Cut!"

"Super Wave Smasher!"

The combined attacks of Sage and Cye hurled towards the creature. It struck its back but no damage was done to it.

"No way, not even their powers put a dent in it," said Ryo.

The creature turned around and pointed towards them. More threads shot out and wrapped around the guys. They struggled to get out and tried to cut themselves free but it didn't work. Satisfied with his work, the creature set his gaze once again on Tiffany. "Stay back," threatened Tiffany. She formed an ice spear then threw it at the creature, who easily caught it and crushed it in his hands. Threads wrapped around Tiffany and they started to suck the power out of Tiffany. She started to feel light-headed as more and more of her power was being drained from her body. Tiffany sank to her knees and her vision started to get blurry.

"Tiffany!" Ryo exclaimed.

"Quick, form the Inferno!" yelled Rowen.

The others nodded and he, Sage, Cye, and Kento sent their powers over to Ryo. He was then bathed in intense heat as the white armor of Inferno appeared on him. White Blaze turned to Black Blaze and he broke out of his prison and went over to Ryo.

The creature saw this and he released Tiffany, who collapsed to the ground. "More…more power," mumbled the creature.

Ryo took out the Swords of Fervor and pointed them at the creature. "It's over! Rage of Inferno!" He sent his attack over towards the creature and he was about to defend himself when he found out that he couldn't move. His body started to glow white and when he turned around, he saw Tiffany holding her hand out to him, with her hand glowing white as well. It was then the creature realized that Tiffany was using the powers the he absorbed to hold him in place. Ryo's sure-kill hit the creature and with Tiffany's power still inside him, destroyed him both from the outside and the inside. When the dust cleared, there was a huge gaping hole in the side of the factory and there was no trace of Dante or the creature anywhere. Tiffany smiled then started to fall over.

"Tiffany!" Ryo exclaimed, running over to her. He caught her right before she hit the ground and held her in his arms. Tiffany looked up at Ryo with tired eyes. "Is it over?" she softly asked.

Ryo smiled. "Yes, it's over."

"Ryo…I'm so tired."

"Don't talk; save your strength."

"Can I sleep?"

"Yes, you can sleep. We'll carry you home."

Tiffany smiled. "Thanks." She then closed her eyes and fell asleep in Ryo's arms. Ryo tried to get up but soon found himself exhausted as well. "I got her." Ryo turned around to see Sage staring at him, a small smile on his face. Ryo nodded in thanks and Sage gently picked up Tiffany. Kento came over and helped Ryo off the ground. "You all right, buddy?"

"Yeah, just tired."

The group started to head home when the pile started to glow. Everyone turned around and got prepared to fight. Then, from the ashes, a ghostly figure appeared before them. It took them a few seconds to realize that it was Dante.

"Thank you," Dante said.

This confused everyone; why was he thanking them?

"Talpa and his evil spirits put me under his spell to do whatever he wishes but when he died, the spell didn't go away but it turned me into something that wasn't human. This evil creature that you battled moments ago took me over and I was forced to watch as I tortured this young woman," Dante referred to Tiffany, "And I watched as I fought my own son." Dante looked at Ryo and smiled. "Ryo, you have grown to be a strong and brave man. I'm sorry for everything I put you through and I'm sorry that I hurt your loved one. Please, I beg you to forgive me."

Ryo smiled; this image in front of him was the father that he remembered. "I forgive you, dad. I knew that the person who hurt Tiffany couldn't have been you."

Dante smiled. "Thank you. I hope that you and your love will find years of peace and happiness. I'm so proud of you and I know your mom would be proud as well." Dante took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm going to be with your mother now. Goodbye, my son." With that, Dante's image disappeared.

"I can't believe that all this time, a creature possessed your father to do all this," said Cye.

"I know, but he's free now and he's with my mother," Ryo said. "I'm just glad that Dante didn't do this to Tiffany because he wanted to, but because he was forced to."

Everyone agreed.

"All right, let's go home."

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry if the fight scene kind of sucked, not very good at writing those. Also, when I was writing this chapter, I felt kind of bad for Dante so I had him explain that he was forced to do everything that he did to Tiffany. So basically, the only way Dante could be free is if he was killed, which he was. <strong>

**Also, the next chapter will be the last chapter of this story. If I don't have that much homework tomorrow, the last chapter should be up either sometime tomorrow night or Friday morning. Please review, I love your comments. Bye :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hello again! This is the last chapter of Virtue's Faith so I hope you enjoy!**

**I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 22<p>

The next day, everyone was resting after the fight with Dante. Ryo and Tiffany were sleeping on their bed in their room. Those two were the only ones that were fully exhausted after the fight. Tiffany didn't wake up at all when the group was making their way back to the mansion. Mia and Yulie were worried about Tiffany but they were reassured that she was just exhausted and needed some sleep. Ryo had fallen asleep once his head hit the pillow. After Ryo and Tiffany were in their bed, everyone else went to bed as well to rest themselves.

It was now late afternoon and Ryo and Tiffany had yet to wake up. Everyone understood that the couple needed their sleep but they also needed some food as well.

"Should we wake them?" Sekhmet asked.

"They need to rest," said Kayura. "They're both tired from the fight yesterday."

"When it gets close to dinner and they aren't up, then we'll wake them," said Mia.

Everyone agreed.

* * *

><p>Ryo slowly woke up then sat up on the bed. He stretched his arms and muscles, satisfied when he heard a soft pop come from his back. Ryo turned to his side and saw Tiffany still sleeping beside him. He smiled before leaning down and kissing Tiffany's sweet spot behind her ear. Tiffany moaned in her sleep then tried to avoid it but Ryo followed her, lightly biting and licking the spot. Tiffany slowly opened her eyes and turned around to look at Ryo. She reached her hand out and touched his face. "Morning."<p>

"It's way past morning."

"What do you mean? What time is it?"

"I don't know but judging by the setting sun, I'd say late afternoon, early evening."

Tiffany looked outside and did see the sun setting. "We slept for a whole day?"

"Almost." Tiffany turned back to Ryo and was about to say something when her stomach growled. "Hungry."

"Yeah."

Ryo got out of bed. "Stay here; I'll get us something to eat."

"Ok. I love you."

"I love you, too." Ryo kissed Tiffany then left the room to go downstairs. When he entered the living room, everyone looked towards him. "You're awake," Anubis said.

"Yeah, Tiffany is awake too but I came down for something to eat."

"I can warm up the leftovers for yesterday if that's all right," said Cye.

"Right now, I'm hungry for just about anything."

Cye got up and walked into the kitchen.

"How are you feeling?" Mia asked.

"I'm still kind of tired but I'm ok."

"How's Tiffany?" Rowen asked.

"She's tired and hungry but she'll be ok; the baby's fine too."

Cye came back out with two big servings of lasagna. He gave them to Ryo, who thanked him then walked back upstairs. Ryo could faintly hear Kento complaining as to why he got all the food and then Sage yelling at him to stop whining. _He'll never change_, Ryo thought as he entered the room. He noticed that Tiffany had fallen back asleep so he walked over and, after setting the plates down, gently shook her. Tiffany woke up and stared at Ryo. "Sorry."

"Don't be, you're tired but you also need some food in you." Ryo gave her a plate and they both started eating, making small talk as they ate. After both the plates were empty, Ryo took the plates back downstairs while Tiffany laid down on the bed again. When Ryo came back, Tiffany had fallen asleep again so he got in the bed beside her and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>About a month had passed since the fight and everything had gone back to normal. Kayura and Anubis went back to the village while Sekhmet, Dais, and Cale went back to the neither world. Ryo and Tiffany talked about the wedding with Iris and Leonce. They both agreed that the village will have the reception but the wedding will be a private event, with only friends and family attending; even the ex-Warlords said they would come as well! Tiffany had chosen Kayura and Mia to be her bridesmaids while Ryo chose Sage and Rowen to be his groomsmen. After about a month of planning and preparing, the big day had finally come.<p>

* * *

><p>Tiffany was in the village in her old room, getting ready for the wedding. Yesterday, she, Mia, Kayura, and Iris had a bachelorette party. They basically just watched some movies and ate lots of snacks and had non-alcoholic beverages. The guys stayed at the mansion and had a bachelor party with the Warlords.<p>

A knock sounded at the door. "Come in," said Tiffany. The door opened and Kayura and Mia walked in. "Good, I need your help zipping up this dress." Mia came up behind Tiffany and zipped it up. "Thanks."

"Now sit," Kayura ordered, pulling Tiffany to a chair. "We're going to do your make-up and your hair." Tiffany nodded. Mia did Tiffany's hair while Kayura put on her make-up. After about twenty minutes, Tiffany was able to look at herself in the mirror. Her hair had been braided and that braid had been put into a bun. She was wearing just enough make-up to make her eyes pop and highlight her face a little bit. Tiffany smiled. "This is perfect, thank you."

Another knock sounded at the door. "Is she ready?" Iris asked from behind the door.

"Yeah," said Mia.

Iris opened the door then stopped in her tracks, staring at her daughter; tears came to her eyes. "Mom, please don't cry," begged Tiffany.

"You look so beautiful." Iris walked over to her and hugged her. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks, mom."

Leonce then came in and stared at Tiffany. "I can't believe my little girl is getting married today."

"Dad, I'm not your little girl anymore."

"You'll always be no matter what."

Tiffany smiled.

"I think your friends should be arriving now so I'll go out to greet them," Iris said, then left the room.

"We're going to get change," Mia said then left with Kayura following her.

"How's your baby?" Leonce asked.

"She's fine, no problems."

Leonce nodded. "At first, I wasn't ok with you being pregnant before you were married and I was worried that Ryo would leave you or something. Now, I see that Ryo loves you more than anything and he's willing to protect you and make sure nothing happens to you."

"I know, that's why I love him so much."

"Tiffany, I'm sorry that I haven't been treating Ryo with much respect but I promise to try to be on better terms with him."

Tiffany smiled. "Thanks, dad; that would make me happy."

Leonce placed a kiss on Tiffany's head. "I love you, sweetie."

"Love you too, dad."

"Are you guys ready?" Kayura asked, popping her head in. "Because it's time."

Leonce held his arm out to her and Tiffany took it. They walked out of the room and towards the backyard, where the wedding was taking place. Mia and Kayura were waiting by the backdoor for them. Mia was wearing a spaghetti strapped, bright pink dress with silver heels and her hair was braided. Kayura was wearing a spaghetti strapped, sky blue dress with black heels and her hair was in a high pony tail.

"Ready?" Mia asked, handing Tiffany a bouquet of white, yellow, and pink roses.

"Yes," Tiffany answered.

Music started playing and Mia walked out first then Kayura after a few seconds. Leonce and Tiffany smiled at each other before walking outside. The backyard was decorated with white linen and there were flowers all over the place with small twinkling lights handing from the trees. Tiffany looked in front of her and saw her future husband standing in a black tux and shoes and his hair was slightly gelled. Ryo smiled at her which made Tiffany's heart leap. Leonce and Tiffany got towards the front then Leonce gave her away, before placing a kiss on her cheek; he then went to stand beside Iris.

"You may be seated," the priest said and everyone sat down. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union between Tiffany Janet Zimmerman and Ryo Matthew Sanada. If anyone doesn't think that these two deserve to be together, speak now or forever hold your peace." No one said anything. The priest continued on with the wedding but Tiffany wasn't paying attention to him. Her eyes were gazing into Ryo's and she couldn't stop thinking that in a few minutes, she'll become Ryo's wife.

"Ryo Matthew Sanada, do you take Tiffany Janet Zimmerman to be your wife?"

"I do," Ryo declared.

"Tiffany Janet Zimmerman, do you take Ryo Matthew Sanada to be your husband?"

"I do," replied Tiffany.

"By the power vested in me, I know pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Ryo cupped Tiffany's face then leaned down and kissed her lips. Cheering and clapping could be heard in the background but that didn't matter to the newlyweds; all that mattered was each other.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Ryo and Tiffany had arrived at the cottage that they'll be staying at for their honeymoon. The reception was good but neither of them couldn't wait to be alone for the night. So once they got into the cottage, Ryo picked Tiffany up and started kissing her. Tiffany wrapped her arms around his neck as Ryo carried her to the bedroom. He laid her on the bed then started to take off her clothes, with Tiffany doing the same thing. They made love that night for it was their first time as husband and wife.<p>

**THREE MONTHS LATER**

Tiffany was sitting on the couch, reading a book while sipping some tea. She was nine months pregnant and was due at any day. The guys were out for some 'guy time' and Yulie was at home so it was just her and Mia in the mansion. Tiffany and Ryo were happily married and they always had time for one another. Whenever they wanted some time alone, everyone else would go out to see a movie or something while Ryo and Tiffany had the mansion to themselves. Ryo had mentioned getting a house for themselves to raise a family when Tiffany remember if they wanted to, they could live in the village with Ryo working as a martial artist teacher and Tiffany practicing the art of medicine with her mother. Ryo and Tiffany talked on and off about the subject until they finally decided a week ago to move into the village. After they had told Iris and Leonce, they started to build a home for them right next door to theirs. Tiffany and Ryo wouldn't be able to move in for another two weeks but they were in no hurry.

"Tiffany, would you like anything to eat?" Mia asked, snapping Tiffany out of her thoughts.

"No thank you, Mia."

Mia nodded before sitting down and picking up a book to read as well. The two were quiet for a while until Tiffany felt a pain in her stomach. Tiffany gasped in pain and clutched her stomach. Mia turned towards her. "Are you ok?"

"I think so," Tiffany answered before another wave of pain hit her. She bit her lip to keep herself from crying out when she felt something wet run down her leg; Tiffany's eyes widen. "Mia, my water broke!"

Mia got up and ran towards her, holding Tiffany's shoulder as a contraction hit Tiffany again. "I wish the guys hadn't of taken the car," Mia mumbled.

"The jewel," Tiffany said. "Use the jewel."

Mia nodded then took out the Jewel of Life. She sent out a message and before long, a bright light flashed in front of the house. Mia opened the door and Kayura, Iris, Leonce, and Anubis walked in. "She's on the couch," Mia stated and Kayura and Iris ran over towards her.

"Tiffany, I need you to breathe," Iris gently ordered as she laid Tiffany down on the couch.

"Ryo…where's Ryo?"

"I'm on the phone with him," Mia said. "He said he'll try to get back here as fast as he can."

Tiffany nodded then screamed in pain as a contraction hit her.

"Get me some hot water and a towel," ordered Iris.

Mia and Kayura walked into the kitchen and came back with the items requested. A few minutes had passed before the front door burst opened and Ryo ran in, with the guys trailing behind. Ryo ran towards Tiffany and took her hand in his. "I'm here, Tiffany."

Tiffany turned to him. "Ryo, it hurts." She screamed again, squeezing Ryo's hand, as a contraction hit her.

"Just breathe, Tiffany; you'll be ok."

"Tiffany, I'm going to need you to push when I say so, ok?" Iris asked.

Tiffany nodded.

"Ok, on three. One…two…three." Tiffany pushed and she squeezed Ryo's hand in the process. Mia had ushered everyone else out of the room and told them that she'll get them when the baby was born. "One…two…three, push." Tiffany screamed in pain as she pushed, tears creeping in the corner of her eyes. "One more push, Tiffany."

"I can't," Tiffany sobbed.

"Yes you can," Kayura encouraged. "I can see her head."

"You can do it, Tiffany," added Mia.

"Our daughter is almost here," Ryo said. "One more push; you can do it."

Tiffany pushed with all her might and then, a small cry filled the room. Iris took the baby into another room to clean her while Kayura and Mia cleaned up the couch. "You did it," Ryo said, kissing Tiffany's head.

Iris came back into the room, with the baby wrapped up in a soft pink blanket. "Here's your baby girl." She handed the baby over to Tiffany, who held her in her arms. The baby opened her eyes and looked up, staring at Tiffany. "She's got your eyes," Tiffany stated.

"She has your nose and hair color," added Ryo.

"She also has your lips."

Mia went into the other room and let the men in to see the new baby. They gathered around Tiffany to see the baby girl. They had fawned over the baby and after a few minutes, Tiffany had started passing her around to everyone, so that they could get a chance to hold her.

"My first grandchild," Leonce said when the baby was passed to him. "You look like your mother and father, little one."

"What's her name?" Cye asked.

"Amy Rena Sanada," Ryo and Tiffany answered at the same time.

"Beautiful name," Iris said, standing next to her husband and looking at Amy; Leonce then passed Amy over to Ryo.

Tiffany smiled as she watched Ryo gently rock Amy to sleep. "You're going to be a great father," stated Tiffany.

Ryo looked at her then gave the now sleeping Amy over to her. "And you're going to be a great mother."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

The two shared a short, but sweet kiss before turning their attention to the bundle of joy in Tiffany's arms.

* * *

><p><strong>Done! I want to give a shout-out to tmdrago for helping me come up with the name for the baby. Also, I'm not making a sequel for this story but if anyone wants to write a story about Amy's life, PM me and we can discuss. <strong>

**Thanks to everyone who has favorited, followed, reviewed, or read my story. I don't know if I'll write another Ronin Warriors fanfic but we'll see what happens. Goodbye and have a wonderful day :)**


End file.
